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Michigan’s Outdated and Dangerous Combined Sewer Systems
Many of Michigan’s urban and suburban areas expanded rapidly between the 1920s and the 1950s — an era with different priorities for water management. Many of Michigan’s water systems were originally built as combined systems, meaning the pipes carried both stormwater and wastewater. These systems simply discharged all water directly into local lakes, rivers, and streams, without treatment. Wastewater treatment centers were built later, and the combined sewer pipes were redirected there for the water to be processed before being released back into the water table. Starting in the mid-1950s
Protecting Michigan’s Waters: Infrastructure for the Future
Michigan is the Great Lakes state. As such, Michigan residents are acutely aware of our duty to protect the Great Lakes and our water resources for future generations. There are currently many threats to our water here in Michigan. Most of these threats have been looming for years, but action on them has been pushed off, as our legislature procrastinates and ignores the problems instead of taking the hard steps that action requires. The Flint water crisis brought the dangers of lead infrastructure and poor oversight from the state to the surface and a city was poisoned as a result. Every year
Michigan’s Aging Septic Systems
E. coli is a major bacterial pollutant in Michigan’s water. While E. coli is commonly talked about in reference to combined sewer overflows and large-scale agricultural operations, there is another major source of E. coli in our water that every state in the country other than Michigan has worked to eliminate — leaking and failing septic systems. Michigan is currently the only state that does not require regular inspections of septic systems, and the problem is only getting worse with time. Septic systems are generally found in rural areas where municipal sewer systems don’t exist, or in older
PFC Contamination in Minnesota
Clean Water Action supported the passage of new drinking water guidance levels for PFCs and the establishment of the state’s biomonitoring program. We advocated for strong landfill clean up plans and conducted public education and outreach on this ever evolving situation.
Clean Water Action Letter of Support for the Confirmation of Radhika Fox
May 4, 2021 The Honorable Thomas R. Carper Chairman Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington DC 20510 The Honorable Shelley Moore Capito Ranking Member Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington DC 20510 Dear Chair Carper and Ranking Member Capito, On behalf of Clean Water Action and our members across the country, I am writing to urge the Committee to confirm Radhika Fox for the position of Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Radhika has a track record of bringing stakeholders
