Metro Beach is one of the Macomb County beaches that had to be closed to swimmers last May after torrential rains resulted in sewer overflows.Dumped sewage risks health
Communities forced to weigh cost of fixing aging treatment plants as billions of gallons pour into waterways.
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Metro Detroit wastewater treatment plants have released more than 40 billion gallons of raw or only partially treated sewage into area waterways over the past three years, a volume so large that it surprised some environmentalists.
While excessive storm water in the system remains the biggest cause, many of the discharges were prompted by old and malfunctioning plants, according to a Detroit News analysis of sewage overflows.
Environmental groups and scientists say the frequency and volume of the releases - outlined in reports by the state Department of Environmental Quality - lead to repeated closures of swimming beaches and warnings to curtail other open-water activities like boating.
"Every time raw sewage is released, that means there are more parasites and other things in the water to make people sick," said Joan Rose, Homer Nowlin chair in Water Research at Michigan State University's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Avid boater Jan Glover is keenly aware of the public health warnings that often accompany the sewage discharges.
"We like to go on the water, so we always have to keep an eye out for problems," said Glover, a St. Clair Shores paralegal and grandparent. "I don't think people are told enough about the problems. We should know more about the amounts (of sewage) that are released."
Some of the problems over the last three years were caused by power failures related to shorted-out electrical circuits. Others were triggered by equipment malfunctions.
Many of the releases are caused by the region's aging infrastructure, struggling to handle the amount of waste produced by residents.
Rose and Mike Shriberg, Great Lakes Advocate for the National Association of State Public Interest Research Groups, expressed surprise at both the volume and causes of the releases.
Last week, for example, an undisclosed amount of raw sewage was released into a branch of the Rouge River in Waterford when a pump operated by the Oakland County Drain Commissioner malfunctioned. One reason for the failure is that the system is overburdened, mostly from new construction projects in the area.
Tom Prince, the chief engineer for the Oakland County Drain Commissioner, said everyone wants to reduce the frequency and amount of the releases.
"You need to balance the cost to residents with the health risks and how much money you have to make repairs," he said.
Oakland County is already spending millions of dollars to add a second pump station to increase sewage capacity, Prince said, which should avert future spills at that location.
Detroit resident Lisa Harris, 40, has lived her entire life in a small house at the end of South Liddesdale Street near Sanders. Her home is about 100 yards north of the O'Brien Drain where the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department regularly releases raw sewage into a tributary of the Rouge River. According to the DEQ, 33.3 millions gallons of partially treated sewage were released through the drain this month.
"You can smell it every day," Harris said.
Children are warned not to play near the fenced-off area around the drain. "I know they can get sick. No one wants to take that chance," she said.
Engineers and others who operate the wastewater systems agree that improvements are needed. They note that tens of millions of dollars have already been spent to make repairs and upgrades and that much more has to be done to curtail the wastewater releases. The Detroit water department is in the midst of a 10 year, $1 billion-plus construction plan to boost its ability to treat and hold sewage so it doesn't have to be released into rivers.
The strongest evidence of the impact of the releases is when swimming is banned in lakes and rivers for health reasons. That doesn't happen in the winter when sewage is released, Michigan State's Rose said, but colder temperatures allow the dangerous microorganisms to grow and accumulate in the sediment of Michigan's waterways.
In 2003, the last year for which the Department of Environmental Quality released a Beach Quality Report, testing found that levels of E. coli, the bacteria commonly measured to gauge water quality, were so high at individual state lakes and beaches that they had to be closed for at least one day on 136 occasions.
Macomb County waterways had unsafe levels on at least 14 days, and Oakland County had unsafe levels on at least seven days
Wayne County does not strictly monitor its swimming areas.
Rose said proving someone gets sick from raw sewage in the water is hard, but she notes there are many documented cases across Metro Detroit of waterborne illness.
Forty billion gallons of untreated wastewater is a large volume, but it is a small fraction of the wastewater that is treated every day. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which serves 126 communities in southeast Michigan, treats an estimated 660 million gallons of wastewater daily, which amounts to almost 241 billion gallons a year.
The health impact of such sewage is real, said Gary White, director of environmental health in Macomb County, but adds the caveat that people should react with common sense.
"These aren't thing you should be scared about but you should be cautious," he said. "When there is a release, be careful about going in the water and take precautions."
By far the largest amounts of wastewater are released by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.
According to DEQ records, in 2002 the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department released 21 billion gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage into area waterways; in 2003 that amount was 17 billion gallons; preliminary figures for 2004 amount to 12 billion gallons.
The releases are frequent. In 2004, according to preliminary information, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department reported it had released wastewater, which contained at least some form of sewage, 400 times. About 50 of those releases occurred during heavy rains last May.
Although billions of gallons of raw sewage are being dumped into local rivers and creeks, upgrades being made to the existing sewage lines and treatment plants are having a positive impact on aquatic wildlife.
"It is shocking how much wastewater is being dumped, but there have been improvements," said Cyndi Ross, associate coordinator for the Friends of the Rouge, a group that promotes care and restoration of the Rouge River.
Along the Rouge River, for example, although there still are occasional advisories for when the water is unsafe for swimming or boating because of high levels of e. coli, Ross said the water quality has steadily improved to allow more fish and other aquatic animals to thrive.
While agencies responsible for treating sewage work to improving their capacity, Ross said residents can do their share to reduce the amount of water that floods the sewerage system.
She suggests people collect the rain water that runs off their homes and use it to water their plants instead of letting it wash into the storm sewer systems, where it can prompt backups.
"This is everyone's problem," she said.
You can reach David Josar at djosar@detnews.com.
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