Macomb and Oakland County lawmakers call on EGLE to revise wastewater permit
Michigan Republicans call out EGLE over alleged permit violations
Nine Republican lawmakers from Oakland and Macomb counties are calling on the state agency in charge of permits for stormwater between the two jurisdictions to address alleged violations of untreated water and sewage spilling into the Red Run Drain.
WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - The saga over allegations of untreated water and sewage contaminating a river that flows between Oakland and Macomb counties continued Wednesday after lawmakers called out the state for not addressing the pollution.
A letter sent from eight Republican lawmakers from both counties asked the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to revise the permit allowing for the partial discharge of wastewater into the Red Run Drain.
Addressing EGLE Director Phillip Roos, lawmakers like Orion Township Republican Donni Steel said the department should do more to prevent a retention basin facility from allowing wastewater from entering the region's stream and lakes.
"What is more important than our waterways?" she told FOX 2.
The letter Steele signed advised EGLE to issue a new permit that further restricts the combined sewer overflow from entering the water system.
"What we’re suggesting is that the Kuhn Basin which holds the water when you have these big floods - until you can release it into the drains needs to be enlarged so it can hold the water that we’re experiencing," she said.
The location in question is the George W. Kuhn Retention Basin Facility, which is regulated by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. While some solutions have been presented, the letter said, the lawmakers don't believe they go far enough.
"The repeated violations resulting from the Dequindre Interceptor have been going on for years. We ask that the State mandate a fix to these problems by a date certain so that raw sewage is no longer discharged into the Red Run Drain," the letter read.
The facility was first built in 1960 specifically to store and treat stormwater during heavy rain events. The idea was to treat the water before releasing it back into the environment.
But some lawmakers as well as Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller say garbage like wet wipes and other discarded materials are still ending up in the Red Run Drain.
Oakland-Macomb County feud over wastewater bubbling into the public
Officials pointing fingers at one another over claims of Oakland County releasing untreated wastewater into Macomb County continued to fester on Wednesday.
Steele says if someone is looking for solutions, they should start with the permitting process.
"If I’m wrong, by all means I’ll say I’m wrong, but if I’m right, let’s fix it," she said.
When reached for a statement, EGLE confirmed they had received the letter and were reviewing it - but said the facility's current permit remains in effect and is not being violated.
However, an updated draft permit is in the works and in a few months it will be available for anyone who wants to take a look.
Among those who have pushed back on allegations that Oakland County is violating the permit is water resources commissioner Jim Nash, who said in a statement the facility is only allowing fully treated water to leave the facility.
"I appreciate that several lawmakers have taken a recent interest in protecting Michigan’s water resources. For decades, the George W. Kuhn Retention Treatment Basin Facility has operated under an NPDES permit to ensure its compliance with Michigan’s water quality standards," the statement read.