Lansing to fix sewer overflows by 2035, per order signed with state environmental agency

Lansing State Journal

LANSING — Lansing's overflow-prone sewer system will be fixed by 2035, according to an agreement signed by city and state environmental officials that lays out a construction timeline for the costly work.

The administrative consent order lays out a series of deadlines by which Lansing must eliminate overflows in its sewer system.

A portion of the city's sewer system is among the leakiest in the state, annually sending hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into area rivers, which damages the environment and threatens human health.

The order signed in December updates a 2004 order that mandated the city stop overflows by the end of last year.

More:Why millions of gallons of sewage-tainted runoff still flow into Lansing's rivers

Lansing missed that initial deadline in part because of the drain the costly work would have on city finances. City officials have been negotiating with EGLE since 2013 to come up with a new timeline.

"It's taken a while to get to this point, but on both sides we believe this is a fair approach that will take care of what we're mandated to do with eliminating the overflows to the river but keeping the rates reasonable for the ratepayers," Lansing Public Service Director Andy Kilpatrick said.

This water pipe drains into the Grand River near the end of West Ottawa Street in downtown Lansing.

Construction starts this year

The initial work involves separating the remaining portion of Lansing's combined sewer system, which carries sewage and stormwater in the same pipes. The combined system is located largely in the downtown area.

Construction timeline:

2020: Crews will replace the Willard Avenue pump station and sewer main that runs through Scott Woods and line the pipes in the central interceptor along the Grand River near I-496.
2021: Separation work will take place on an area of Colonial Village Neighborhood bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Cooper, Victor and Pattengill avenues.
2022: Separation work will take place on an area of Colonial Village Neighborhood bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Cooper, Victor and Pattengill avenues.
2023: Separation work will take place on a triangular portion of Greencroft Park neighborhood bordered by South Washington and Cedar streets and Greenlawn Avenue; a portion of the Westside neighborhood on both sides of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard generally between Shiawassee and Saginaw streets; and Ottawa Street from Capitol to Grand avenues.

The order requires Lansing to have eliminated 95% of overflows from its combined sewer system by 2032. After the bulk of that work is done, Kilpatrick said, crews will focus on reducing rainwater that gets into the sanitary sewer system at residential properties.

When it rains, water that collects around houses overflows the system and causes backups in homes and the wastewater treatment plant, Kilpatrick said.

Sanitary sewer fixes must be completed by 2035.

More:Lansing to pay $1.25 million after residents sued over sewage that flooded their basements

Expect steady rate increases

The remaining work will cost about $250 million and will be paid by sewer fees and loans from the state. Kilpatrick estimated rates will increase annually by 3% to 4% to fund the cost.

"For the next five years, it looks like that rate of increase will cover what we need," he said. "We will continue to model that out a number of years and adjust rates as necessary so we have funding for these mandated projects."

EGLE will fine the city if it misses certain deadlines laid out in the order. It will not fine the city for deadlines regarding its combined system, a point agreed to during negotiations between the state and city, EGLE spokesperson Scott Dean said.

Large water pipes that drain into the Grand River near the end of West Ottawa Street can be seen in downtown Lansing.

Fewer overflows, cleaner rivers

As of 2018, Lansing was one of about two dozen Michigan communities that still had at least a partially combined sewer system. Others included Dearborn and Detroit.

That's fine during dry weather, but makes the pipes likely to overflow on rainy days and send a slurry of sewage and stormwater into area rivers. That can make waters dangerous for boaters, anglers or swimmers and overload rivers with nutrients and hurt water quality.

In some years, Lansing's is the leakiest combined sewer in the state. Already in 2020, more than 35 million gallons have overflowed from Lansing's combined and sanitary systems.

More:Why millions of gallons of sewage-tainted runoff still flow into Lansing's rivers

Since starting separation work in the 1980s, the city has separated over 70% of its combined sewers and reduced its overflows by more than half. In 2018, about 391 million gallons overflowed, state records show.

Overflows in Mason, Grand Ledge

A Jan. 11 storm caused sewer systems throughout mid-Michigan to overflow into area waterways, including Lansing's.

The City of Mason reported its wastewater treatment plant was overflowing into the Sycamore Creek on Saturday during a winter storm that hit the Lansing area.

There were three overflow sites in Grand Ledge, city officials reported on Jan. 15. More than 6 million gallons spilled into the Grand River.

The Mason Wastewater Treatment Plant overflowed into Sycamore Creek during the storm. Days later, Mayor Russ Whipple told the State Journal city residents’ rates could increase 45% to 59% to pay for a new $17 million public works facility to replace the one that overflowed this month.

Mason is also under a state order to reduce infiltration into its sewer system, which causes overflows during heavy rain. The city council and planning commission will discuss the project and other capital improvement projects at a joint meeting 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Mason City Hall.

Contact Carol Thompson at (517) 377-1018 or ckthompson@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @thompsoncarolk.