WARREN – Warren officers are asking the state to intervene after sewage overflows from Oakland County proceed to ship evenly handled wastewater by the town into the Clinton River.
On the Dec. 16 Metropolis Council assembly, council members voted to undertake a decision asking the state to handle the necessity to get rid of mixed sewer overflows in Warren and Macomb County from the George W. Kuhn Retention Therapy Basin in Oakland County.
“Whereas the George W. Kuhn Drainage District, consisting of 14 communities in southeastern Oakland County, has repeatedly permitted mixed sewer overflows for many years, dumping huge quantities of evenly handled sewage, together with particulate matter, into the Purple Run Drain by Macomb County,” the decision stated.
A mixed sewer flood happens when a combination of untreated sewage and rainwater flows instantly into rivers, lakes, or oceans as a result of the sewer system turns into overflowing throughout heavy rainfall.
In line with an August information launch from the Macomb County Public Works Workplace, overflows from the basin and uncooked sewage from the Dequindre Interceptor discharge into the Purple Run close to the mouth of the basin on Dequindre Highway north of 13 Mile Highway, which borders the 2 counties. It’s then discharged into the Clinton River, which flows into Lake St. Clair.
The merchandise was added to the Warren Metropolis Council agenda on Dec. 16 by Councilman Gary Boike.
“The decision was designed to display our alliance to different Macomb County communities that we’ll not sit again and let Oakland County dump the stormwater when it reaches a sure degree,” he stated.
Lately, the Metropolis of Warren has taken steps to make sure the town’s ingesting water stays secure, regardless of discharges from Oakland County. These steps embody the development of a brand new detention basin on Stephens Highway, north of 9 Mile Highway and east of Schoenherr Highway. In September, the town awarded a $110.3 million bid for a drainage and combustion enchancment undertaking.
The town has additionally instituted a cross-connection management program with the objective of defending the town’s public water distribution system by eliminating potential sources of contamination.
The Metropolis of Warren operates its personal wastewater remedy plant close to 14 Mile Highway and Van Dyke Avenue.
Whereas it wasn’t initially a Macomb County downside, Boike stated it turned one due to the injury attributable to the spills from Oakland County.
The decision asks the Michigan Division of Surroundings, Nice Lakes and Power to manage permits that enable Oakland County to discharge “exorbitant quantities of water by storm drains,” Boike stated.
Along with denying the permits to Oakland County, the decision requires funds from state grants that may have been given to Oakland County to be redirected to funding enhancements to get rid of mixed sewer overflows, together with making enhancements alongside Purple Run in Warren.
“We’re asking our state to take a look at us and acknowledge us so we will additionally use a number of the cash so we will be certain the drainage works correctly and does not get any pollution by our metropolis,” Boike stated.
The Metropolis Council voted unanimously to just accept the decision, making Warren the final metropolis within the county to go such a decision, Boike stated.
The water discharged from Oakland County into Macomb County has been repeatedly scrutinized by Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller.
In April 2025, Miller despatched a letter to EGLE in an try to attract consideration to the problem as they had been reviewing the drainage allow renewal. Nevertheless, the allow was prolonged in August.
New rules utilized to the basin by the allow are failing to enhance water high quality and scale back the frequency and period of CSOs, Miller stated.
“The allow doesn’t mandate (the George W. Kuhn Basin) to make enhancements inside required or significant timelines. Moreover, the allow now offers (the George W. Kuhn Basin) extremely extra time than initially proposed to merely research, however not right, their issues,” Miller stated in a press release in August.
An April spill, which occurred after heavy storms, launched 820 million gallons of untreated mixed sewer overflow and 1.2 million gallons of sanitary sewer overflow.
Miller stated she appreciates Warren’s efforts to assist cease the discharge of handled and untreated sewage into the Purple Run.
“Warren has spent over $90 million to cease discharges into the Purple Run Drain, Macomb County has spent over $100 million to cease our discharges into Lake St. Clair, and but Oakland County can do nothing to cease their discharges,” she stated. “In the event that they actually cared a couple of regional method to enhancing water high quality, they may actually do one thing.”
