EXECUTIVE SUMMAR

In 1992, 17 states reported 34 major water borne disease outbreaks affecting 17,000 people. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that more than one million Americans become ill each year from sanitary-sewer overflows (SSO’s). A 1999 study by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) indicates that the nation’s 500,000 miles of sewer lines average 33 years old. However, many cities are maintaining and operating a wastewater collection system with sections that are nearly 100 years old. Michigan is no exception with many cities which fall in this category. EPA estimates that there are at least 40,000 sanitary sewer overflows (SSO’s) per year, excluding basement backups. A 1984 Urban Institute study of urban infrastructure indicated that sewer backup rates tended to be highest in economically distressed municipalities, and are generally higher in communities with the oldest sewer systems. Sewer breaks are particularly associated with large, growing cities. According to the American Water Works Association (AWWA), by 2020 the average utility will spend three times as much on infrastructure replacement as it does today. Many of the underground utilities are outdated and rundown. The deterioration of utilities manifests itself in increased operating and maintenance costs, water losses, sewer overflows, frequent service disruptions and a reduced quality of water supply.

The level of service to customers is negatively impacted by a reduction in the hydraulic capacity of a system due to root ingress, accumulation of obstructions discharged to the system (such as grease, rags, paper towels), and structural failures (such as line breaks and collapses). The poor performance of many sanitary sewer systems and resulting potential health and environmental risks highlight the need to increase regulatory oversight of management, operation, and maintenance of these systems. Improved system performance should:

• Reduce health and environmental risks by reducing SSO occurrences and improving treatment facility performance, and

   

• Provide added protection to the state’s collection system infrastructure by enhancing and maintaining system capacity, reducing equipment and operational failures and extending life of system components.

By studying the nature of the problem in Michigan and reviewing all available resources, this paper highlights problems in Michigan, describes current Michigan policy, summarizes relevant research that evaluates or informs the problem and possible policy solutions, describes what other states are doing in the area, and outlines possible policy options for Michigan.