Great Lakes Water Authority

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is a regional water authority in the U.S. state of Michigan. It provides drinking water treatment, drinking water distribution, wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment services for the Southeast Michigan communities, including Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, among others. GLWA overlays a majority of the water and sewer assets which were formerly operated and maintained by the Detroit Water Sewer District (DWSD) prior to the bankruptcy of the City of Detroit, Michigan.

Great Lakes Water Authority
Agency overview
JurisdictionMetro Detroit
HeadquartersWater Board Building
735 Randolph Street
Detroit, MI 48226
MottoOne Water, One Team
Employees1033
Agency executive
  • Suzanne Coffey, PE, Chief Executive Officer
Websiteglwater.org

History

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The Great Lakes Water Authority was created in the fall of 2014 under a United States bankruptcy court order issued as part of the City of Detroit bankruptcy proceedings.[1] The Detroit City Council voted to join the authority in September 2014 by a 7–2 vote, and the county commissions of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties voted to join in October 2014.[2] The first meeting of the GLWA board was held on December 12, 2014.[2]

The 40-year lease deal was approved on June 12, 2015, by a 5–1 vote of the Great Lakes Water Authority board, marking a historic regionalization of water control hailed by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.[3][1] The assumption of much of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's (DWSD) operations by the Great Lakes Water Authority will allow Detroit to fund improvements to Detroit's aging water infrastructure, such as repairs to old treatment facilities and leaking pipes.[1][4] The lease payments to Detroit must be used for water purposes, and cannot be diverted to the general fund.[4] The deal allows DWSD's workforce to be reduced from around 1,400 to around 500.[4] The Great Lakes Water Authority will have about 900 employees.[4]

In October 2015, following a nationwide search, Sue McCormick, the director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, was named the first chief executive officer of the Great Lakes Water Authority.[5]

GLWA formally assumed operations from the Detroit Water Sewer District on January 1, 2016. The GLWA also assumed $4 billion of DWSD's debt.[1] The assumption of Detroit's operations and debt is under a 40-year lease that GLWA has over the City of Detroit's water system.[1] The lease agreement was brokered in secret mediation by U.S. District Judge Sean Cox and required "lengthy and contentious negotiations" between Detroit and suburban Detroit leaders, who feared any prospect of bailing out Detroit's water system.[3][4] Under the agreement, the authority will pay the City "$50 million a year plus about $50 million a year toward pension costs and a fund to help struggling customers" in exchange for the city's water system.[3]

Governance

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The Great Lakes Water Authority is governed by a board of directors.[6][3] It consists of two representatives of the City of Detroit and one representative each from Oakland County, Macomb County, Wayne County, and the State of Michigan.[1][7] The Detroit representatives are appointed by the mayor, the county representatives are appointed by their respective counties, and the state representative is appointed by the governor.[8] The governor's appointee is intended to represent users of the water authority's services outside Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne, such as users in Washtenaw, Genesee, and Monroe counties.[4][8]

The primary administrative center for the GLWA is the Water Board Building, which is located at 735 Randolph Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The Water Board Building houses the meeting chamber for the Board of Directors, and includes offices for the management officers for the GLWA.

Sue McCormick, who led GLWA since its inception, submitted her resignation as CEO on July 28, 2021.[9] McCormick stepped down after increased pressure from local leaders when a loss of sewer pumping capacity happened during the June 28 rainfall event which realized six inches of rainfall depth over the Detroit metropolitan area. Suzanne Coffey, previously the agency's chief planning officer was named interim CEO by the GLWA Board of Directors on August 11, 2021.[10] On June 27, 2022, it was announced that she would be promoted to permanent CEO.[11]

Board of Directors
Name Position Representing
Brian Baker Board Chairperson Macomb County
Mark Miller Board Vice-Chairperson State of Michigan
John J. Zech Board Secretary Wayne County
Jaye Quadrozzi Member Oakland County
Freman Hendrix Member City of Detroit
Gary A. Brown Member City of Detroit

Services

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The utility authority provides drinking water treatment, water transmission, wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment services to almost four million customers from about 125 Michigan communities in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and other counties.[1][4] About 75% of the authority's customers reside in the suburbs, with the remaining customers residing in the City of Detroit.[4] The GLWA operates combined sewer overflow (CSO) facilities, drinking water booster pump stations, drinking water in-system storage, and wastewater pump stations. Small-diameter local water distribution mains and sanitary sewer in the local communities remain under their individual control.

The Central Services Facility (CSF) located at 6425 Huber Street in Detroit serves as the headquarters for all of the field maintenance staff which operate and maintain the non-treatment assets within the water distribution and wastewater collection service area. These assets include the large capacity raw sewage pumping stations which serve to lift sewage along the main interceptors, as well as the in-system drinking water booster stations which are located throughout the water distribution system. The CSF houses a central fusion control center which serves as a central control hub that can supervise the operation of all the treatment facilities, as well as the combined sewer overflow (CSO) assets, and security camera feeds for all GLWA properties.

Distribution system member communities

The authority has not yet set water rates (which could be variable by community), although it aims to determine rates by March 2016 and make them effective by July 1, 2016.[1] Annual rate increases will be capped at four percent for the first ten years of the authority's existence.[2]

Structure

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Drinking Water Treatment

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GLWA operates five drinking water treatment plants,[12] one wastewater reclamation facility, nine combined sewer overflow treatment/screening facilities, water storage facilities/booster pump stations, and a central service maintenance facility. These facilities are located within the greater Detroit metropolitan area; however, the Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant is located in Fort Gratiot Township, north of Port Huron, Michigan.

The drinking water facilities all utilize a sedimentation and deep bed filtration process to treat and purify drinking water for the residents of their service areas. Disinfection of the treated water is accomplished by either chlorination or ozonation processes.

Drinking Water Treatment Facilities
Facility Location Municipality Date of Construction Rated

Capacity

(MGD)

Max Pumping

Capacity

(MGD)

Finished

Water Storage

(MG)

Source Water Service Area
Waterworks Park Water Treatment Plant 10100 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit 1879 Original

2003 Expanded

240 560 28 Detroit River East Detroit/Wayne County
Northeast Water Treatment Plant 11036 East 8 Mile Road Detroit 1956 300 400 30 Detroit River Northeast Detroit/Wayne County,  

Southern Macomb County,

Southeast Oakland County

Springwells Water Treatment Plant 8300 West Warren Avenue Dearborn 1930 First Train

1958 Second Train

540 450 60 Detroit River - Belle Isle Intake Detroit and Northern Wayne County,

Eastern Washtenaw County,

Oakland County,

Southeastern Macomb County

Southwest Water Treatment Plant 14700 Moran Road Allen Park 1964 240 310 30 Detroit River Southern Wayne County,

Northern Monroe County, Eastern Washtenaw County

Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant 3993 Metcalf Road Fort Gratiot

Township

1974 400 420 44 Lake Huron Genessee County, Lapeer County,

St. Clair County, Monroe County, Oakland County

Totals 1,720 2,400 192












Drinking Water Distribution

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Drinking Water Storage and Booster Pump Stations
Facility Name Address Municipality Function Storage

Capacity (MG)

Adams Road Pump Station 6201 Adams Road Bloomfield Hills Booster Pump Station
Eastside Station 18301 East Warren Ave Detroit Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Electric Avenue Station 1140 Montie Avenue Lincoln Park Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Ford Road Station 26015 Ford Road Dearborn Heights Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Franklin Station 7404 Inkster Road West Bloomfield Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Haggerty Station 39955 West 14 Mile Road Novi Water Storage and Booster Pump Station 70
Imlay Pump Station 430 Wheeling Road Imlay City Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Joy Road Station 43127 Joy Road Canton Township Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Newburgh Station 36363 West 8 Mile Road Livonia Booster Pump Station
North Service Center 1850 East South Boulevard Troy Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Northwest Station 20440 James Couzens Freeway Detroit Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Orion Station 3655 Giddings Road Auburn Hills Booster Pump Station
Rochester Station 2851 East 24 Mile Road Shelby Township Booster Pump Station
Schoolcraft Pump Station 30365 Schoolcraft Road Livonia Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
West Chicago Street 28720 West Chicago Street Livonia Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
West Service Center 20920 East Street Southfield Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Wick Pump Station 32280 Wick Road Romulus Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Ypsilanti Station 361 Rawsonville Road Van Buren Township Booster Pump Station


Combined Sewer Overflow Prevention and Pollution Control

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The Great Lakes Water Authority operates and maintains nine individual combined sewer overflow pollution prevention facilities located within the original combined sewer service area. These facilities were planned and constructed in the late 1990's through the early 2000's to contain and treat wet-weather wastewater flows which originated in the legacy combined sewer areas of the Detroit metro area.[13]

The City of Detroit was originally developed and as water and sewer services grew within the existing municipal boundary of the City, the sanitary sewer and stormwater sewers were built as a combined sewer system. Combined sewer systems were designed to convey both dry weather sanitary waste, and during wet weather events, carry the runoff generated from the surrounding homes, business, and impervious land uses. During wet weather, these historic outfalls would discharge raw sewage directly into the downstream receiving water bodies, such as the Rouge River and Detroit River. The Clean Water Act required the City of Detroit to address these raw sewage outfalls by constructing the CSO pollution control facilities to prevent untreated sewage from entering the local waterways.

GLWA Combined Sewer Overflow Facilities
Facility Name Location Function Municipality Downstream

Receiving

Waterbody

Coordinates
Belle Isle CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 1500 Belle Isle Retention of Combined Sewerage Detroit Detroit River 42°20′19.95″N 82°59′51.35″W / 42.3388750°N 82.9975972°W / 42.3388750; -82.9975972
Conner Creek CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 11900 Freud Street Retention of Combined Sewerage

Screening of Floatables

Disinfection of Overflow Effluent

Detroit Detroit River 42°21′45.15″N 82°57′28.93″W / 42.3625417°N 82.9580361°W / 42.3625417; -82.9580361
Leib CSO Screening and Disinfection Facility 2198 Mt. Elliott Street Screening of Floatables

Disinfection of Overflow Effluent

Detroit Detroit River 42°21′14.93″N 83°0′58.75″W / 42.3541472°N 83.0163194°W / 42.3541472; -83.0163194
St. Aubin CSO Screening and Disinfection Facility 2122 Atwater Street Screening of Floatables

Disinfection of Overflow Effluent

Detroit Detroit River 42°20′1.59″N 83°1′21.56″W / 42.3337750°N 83.0226556°W / 42.3337750; -83.0226556
Oakwood CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 12082 Pleasant Avenue Retention of Combined Sewerage

Screening of Floatables

Detroit Rouge River 42°16′57.26″N 83°8′37.14″W / 42.2825722°N 83.1436500°W / 42.2825722; -83.1436500
Baby Creek CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 9545 Dix Avenue Retention of Combined Sewerage

Screening of Floatables

Disinfection of Overflow Effluent

Dearborn Rouge River 42°18′28.96″N 83°8′26.79″W / 42.3080444°N 83.1407750°W / 42.3080444; -83.1407750
Hubbell-Southfield CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 16200 Rotunda Drive Retention of Combined Sewerage

Screening of Floatables

Dearborn Rouge River 42°18′29.43″N 83°12′23.89″W / 42.3081750°N 83.2066361°W / 42.3081750; -83.2066361
Puritan-Fenkell CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 23675 Fenkell Avenue Retention of Combined Sewerage Detroit Rouge River 42°23′57.67″N 83°16′19.07″W / 42.3993528°N 83.2719639°W / 42.3993528; -83.2719639
Seven Mile CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 19300 Shiawassee Drive Retention of Combined Sewerage Detroit Rouge River 42°25′53.95″N 83°16′20.71″W / 42.4316528°N 83.2724194°W / 42.4316528; -83.2724194

Intermediate Sewage Pump Stations

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GLWA Sewage Pump Stations
Facility Name Location Function Municipality Coordinates
Bluehill Pump Station Mack Avenue Combined Sewer Pumping Station on Detroit River Interceptor Detroit 42°23′46.77″N 82°55′19.21″W / 42.3963250°N 82.9220028°W / 42.3963250; -82.9220028
Conner Creek Pump Station Combined Sewer Pumping Station on Detroit River Interceptor Detroit
Freud Pump Station 669 Tennessee Street Combined Sewer Pumping Station Detroit 42°21′51.14″N 82°57′24.95″W / 42.3642056°N 82.9569306°W / 42.3642056; -82.9569306
Fairview Pump Station Combined Sewer Pumping Station on Detroit River Interceptor Detroit
Northeast Pump Station 11000 East 8 Mile Road Sewer Pumping Station Detroit 42°26′31.76″N 83°0′47.96″W / 42.4421556°N 83.0133222°W / 42.4421556; -83.0133222
Woodmere Pump Station Combined Sewer Pumping Station on Oakwood Interceptor Detroit










Water Resource Recovery/ Wastewater Pollution Control

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All of the wastewater collected from the Great Lakes Water Authority sewer service area is treated at one facility, the GLWA Water Resource Recovery Facility. The Water Resource Recovery Facility is located at 9300 W. Jefferson Avenue, and is the second largest single-site wastewater treatment facility in North America. The initial phase of the plant was completed in 1940, at a cost of $10 million. Today the facility is rated for a maximum wastewater treatment capacity of 1890 million gallons/day of wet-weather sewage treatment. The Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) is classified as a wet-weather wastewater treatment facility, as it sees sewage flows fluctuate depending on rainfall depth over the sewer collection area. When the City of Detroit was originally sewered for wastewater collection, the system was designed to collect stormwater runoff in addition to household and industrial sanitary wastewater.

Two interceptors convey raw sewage to the Water Resource Recovery Facility. The Detroit River Interceptor (DRI) follows the Detroit River riverbank, and collects sewage from the eastern sewer service area, ultimately following Jefferson Boulevard and arriving at Pump Station No. 1 from the south. The Oakwood Interceptor conveys raw sewage from the western service area which comprises Dearborn and the western suburbs. The Oakwood Interceptor arrives at the WRRF from the north. Each interceptor was originally designed to ultimately land at Pump Station No. 1 when the WRRF was placed in service in 1940.

The original wastewater treatment works were further upgraded in 1953 and 1957, in which additional primary clarification was added to the process. Polymer and ferric chloride feed systems were added to the plant in 1970, including a new chlorine feed system. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) of 1972 drove the need add secondary treatment capacity to the facility, which included the construction of aeration tanks, secondary clarifiers, cryogenic oxygen plants and additional biosolids handling facilities at the plant.

The WRRF includes two medium-lift pump stations, fourteen primary clarifiers (circular and rectangular), four secondary aeration basins, thirty secondary clarifiers, twenty-two sludge dewatering belt filter presses, eight multiple-hearth furnace incinerators, and a chlorination/dechlorination facility for managing the disinfection and subsequent residual chlorine removal of the final treated effluent.[14]



Water Resource Recovery Facility
Process Component Process Description Equipment Downstream Liquid Process Downstream Solids Process
Pump Station No. 1 Lifts raw sewage from the Detroit River Interceptor and the Oakwood Interceptor

Removes floatable trash

Removes non-organic sediments, grit, and gravel

Application of Ferric Chloride for improved settling

Houses eight Medium Lift Pumps

Eight Flowserve Medium Lift Pumps rated for 135 to 230 MGD Bar Screens and Grit Chamber

Primary Clarifiers

Pump Station No. 2 Lifts raw sewage from the Oakwood Interceptor

Removes floatable trash

Removes non-organic sediments, grit, and gravel

Houses eight Medium Lift Pumps

Eight Flowserve Medium Lift Pumps rated at 95 MGD Bar Screens and Grit Chamber

Primary Clarifiers

Primary Clarification Removes primary organic wastewater particles via gravity settling

Basins are both circular and rectangular basin configurations

Six Evoqua 180 MGD Circular Primary Clarifiers

Twelve Chain-and-Flight Rectangular Clarifiers

Aeration Basins Biosolids Dewatering
Aeration Basin Biological nutrient removal process which is used to remove nitrogen, phosphorus, and

additional organic materials which did not settle during primary treatment

Utilizes surface mixers and liquid oxygen diffusers to encourage bacterial consumption of organic fraction of sewage

Four 310 MGD Activated Sludge Aeration Basins Secondary Clarifiers
Secondary Clarifiers Removes waste-activated sludge particles via gravity settling

Recycles waste activated sludge to upstream end of aeration basins

Twenty five Secondary Clarifiers rated for 40 MGD each Chlorine Contact Conduits Biosolids Dewatering
Chlorination Produces chlorinated solution water for the disinfection of secondary treated effluent.

Chlorine gas is introduced into potable process water to generate hypochlorous acid

Ten chlorine gas feeders capable of 8,000 lb/day Detroit River/Rouge River
Dechlorination Produces sulfonated solution water for the removal of chlorine residuals in final disinfected effluent Eight sulfur dioxide gas feeders capable of 7,600 lb/day Detroit River/Rouge River
Dewatering Twelve Ashbrook Belt Filter Presses Ten Komline-Sanderson Belt Filter Presses

Twelve Ashbrook Belt Filter Presses

Oakwood Interceptor
Incineration Multiple heart furnaces incinerate dewatered wastewater sludge cake

Flue gases are scrubbed and desulfurized prior to atmospheric discharge

Eight Nichols-Hereschoff Multiple Hearth Furnaces Oakwood Interceptor
Biosolids Drying Facility Four train drum drying facility which produces a pelletized fertilizer product which is wholesale distributed.

This process is operated by the New England Fertilizer Company (NEFCO).

Four drum dryers with capacity of 421 dry tons/day Detroit River Interceptor for

centrifuge centrate

The WRRF relies on a liquid oxygen generation system to produce the oxygen necessary for the activated sludge aeration process used to manage the biological nutrient removal process.

Incidents

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On the early morning of March 4, 2016 a two-alarm fire broke out in the Incineration facility at the Great Lakes Water Authority Water Resource Recovery Facility. The fire event significantly damaged belt conveyors which are used to feed dewatered process biosolids into the eight operational incinerators located within the main superstructure of the building. The resulting fire damaged nine large belt conveyors, and resulted in roughly $40 million in overall damage to the facility.[15] The fire was investigated by outside engineering consultants, citing excessive sludge debris buildup, lack of maintenance, and poor operational practices as being the cause of the catastrophic fire.[16]

Heavy rainfall events which occurred during the weekend of June 28, 2021 partially disabled the Conner Creek Pump Station and Freud Pump Stations which serve the eastside sewer service area. Both pump stations are located near the GLWA Conner Creek CSO facility. Ongoing investigations by an outside consultant are being completed to determine the exact cause of sewage pumping capacity which led to thousands of basements in the Grosse Pointe area being flooded with sewage.[17]

On August 21, 2022, a break occurred on an existing 120-inch diameter water transmission immediately downstream of the Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant which is located in Fort Gratiot Township. The break resulted in a Boil Water Advisory which affected 23 communities across the service downstream which was served by the 120-inch watermain. The existing main was a concrete precast transmission line.[18] Repairs to the main were completed on September 6, 2022. GLWA indicated that due to the size of the main, full operational capacity of the transmission line would not be restored until September 21, 2022.

On January 26, 2024, a break occurred on an existing 30-inch diameter water transmission main on Baseline Road, resulting in loss of roadway between Novi Street and Oakland Avenue in Northville, Michigan.[19] Several homes near the break experienced flooding, with local customers being asked to reduce water consumption while the break is repaired.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kampe, Paul (January 4, 2016). "Great Lakes Water Authority takes over regional operations". The Oakland Press. Pontiac. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Ferretti, Christine (December 12, 2014). "Regional water authority members sworn in, organize". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Ramirez, Charles E. & Watson, Ursula (June 12, 2015). "Water authority OKs 40-year lease of Detroit system". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Wisely, John & Guillen, Joe (June 12, 2015). "Great Lakes Water Authority OKs lease of Detroit system". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  5. ^ Helms, Matt (October 19, 2015). "McCormick named 1st CEO of Great Lakes Water Authority". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "Great Lakes Water Authority sheds extra state, federal oversight for first time in 45 years". The Detroit News. April 22, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  7. ^ "Board". Great Lakes Water Authority. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Great Lakes Water Authority Fact Sheet". City of Detroit. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  9. ^ Meloni, Rod (July 28, 2021). "Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Sue McCormick submits resignation". WDIV News. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Dickson, James David (August 11, 2021). "GLWA appoints Suzanne Coffey as interim CEO after McCormick departure". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Arshad, Minnah (June 27, 2022). "Great Lakes Water Authority names interim CEO to lead agency permanently". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Water System - Great Lakes Water Authority". GLWA. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  13. ^ "Our Combined Sewer Overflow Operations". Great Lakes Water Authority.
  14. ^ "DWSD - Wastewater Infrastructure System". Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  15. ^ Coles, Dan (March 10, 2016). "Fires at Detroit wastewater plant underscore danger of job cuts". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  16. ^ "2 Alarm Fire Breaks Out At Detroit Wastewater Treatment Plant, Worker Says It's Burning Feces [PHOTOS]". WWJ News. 2016-03-04. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  17. ^ "Frustrated Detroit-Area Residents Clean up Flooded Homes". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. June 28, 2021.
  18. ^ "GLWA Statement on 120-Inch Water Main Break in Port Huron".
  19. ^ "Flood warning for north branch of Clinton River now moderately severe". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
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