State Rep. Donni Steele on Tuesday joined eight of her fellow state representatives from Oakland and Macomb counties in sending a letter to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) calling on officials to address wastewater discharge permit violations at the George W. Kuhn Retention Basin Facility, which resulted in the release of raw sewage into public waterways.

The letter to EGLE encourages the state to take serious steps toward ending the decades-old dumping practice into the Red Run Drain, which flows into the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair.

“This isn’t about casting blame, this is about finding solutions,” said Steele, R-Orion Township. “We want to partner with EGLE, Oakland County, and Macomb County, to end these dangerous dumping practices. We need to better spend the resources we already have in order to fix this problem. Michigan is known for the Great Lakes and our inland waterways – it’s who we are. I can think of no greater priority for us as leaders to focus on.”

The letter follows an Oct. 8 meeting where the legislators met with EGLE officials to discuss potential solutions for the ongoing issue. Steele said that EGLE needs to take a more active role in finding solutions to ensure raw sewage is not released into local waterways.

Oakland County Water Commissioner Jim Nash recently held a press conference to address the allegations against his department. Nash claimed that Oakland County and its dumping practices are not at fault for the high levels of E. coli found in the Red Run Drain. He then claimed the allegations were politically motivated and put the blame back on Macomb County.

“These waterways impact our entire way of life in Southeast Michigan,” Steele said. “Protecting them will also protect our tourism industry, recreational boating, and everything that makes our Great Lakes State so unique. It’s our obligation and duty to overcome all bureaucratic obstacles to find solutions to protect this vital resource.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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