Raw sewage flowing into Ann Arbor streets just one environmental concern from recent storms
Raw sewage flowed into the streets at Hoover and Division in Ann Arbor after the storms Wednesday, a result of storm water overwhelming a sanitary pipe.
The situation near the University of Michigan Athletic Campus is just one example of how the recent record-setting rainfall is affecting the environment in Washtenaw County. Besides sewer backups, wastewater treatement plants also can be forced to release partially treated sewage during heavy storms.
The sewage-tainted water flows from the streets back into the city’s storm drain system and straight into the Huron River, leaving health concerns in its wake, according to local environmental officials.
The Huron River swells and surges at Geddes Dam in Ann Arbor.
Photo courtesy of Dan Lautenbach
Sewage isn't the only thing flowing into watershed systems in Washtenaw County during and after the storms. Sediments, heavy metals and oil from cars and fertilizers also flow into the Huron, Raisin and other county rivers and streams.
The excess fertilizer can spur large algae blooms down the road that siphon oxygen away from fish, Rubin said. The additional sediment smothers oxygen in the river too by blanketing water plants on the river bottom. The sediment also means fewer places fish can lay eggs.
An already-saturated ground from weeks of wet weather means more flooding at the surface.
Janis Bobrin, Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner, oversees over 400 storm drains in the county flowing into various watershed systems.
They weren’t built for the string of storms we experienced in recent weeks, she said.
The natural drain systems are overwhelmed, too, she said.
“These are very high intensity short duration storms,” she said. “When we design storm water infrastructure, we can’t design for the very worst case. We can’t put in pipes that will handle atypical, huge high-intensity storms. We can’t afford to do it.”
The saturated ground causes unprecedented circumstances, like the embankment that washed out off of Plymouth Road Wednesday night.
Bobrin said high-intensity, short duration storms are on the rise due to climate change.
It means that in the future, drain systems could need to be re-worked.
But in the mean time, Rubin and Bobrin said, residents can help by reporting problems with drains to their local or county officials and keeping storm drains free of leaves and other debris.
Rubin suggested planting rain gardens in low-lying areas that sop up and then slowly release rainwater and using a rain barrel to capture some of the water.
“Every bit that we can catch and store on site or filter into the ground takes it out of the storm drain system and out of the river,” Rubin said.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
gardengurl
Sat, May 28, 2011 : 2:37 a.m.
Here's a bit of math - for every one square foot of surface (roof, parking lot) every time it rains ONE INCH, that is nearly a half gallon of water that has to go some where! So if your roof is 1500 square feet that's about 750 gallons of water. Not likely to fit in a 55 gallon rain barrel! Now if you collected it in a Water Wall that can hold 650 gallons - now you're talkin'! <a href="http://www.aquabarrel.com/fatboy" rel='nofollow'>http://www.aquabarrel.com/fatboy</a>
Epengar
Sat, May 28, 2011 : 4:30 a.m.
Every bit of stormwater that is trapped and kept on site helps. 55 gallons is a lot better than nothing.
63Townie
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.
"Rubin suggested planting rain gardens in low-lying areas that sop up and then slowly release rainwater and using a rain barrel to capture some of the water." I think a rice paddy would be more appropriate this year.
Robyn
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:32 p.m.
The city of Ann Arbor already has a program in place for recycling and compost. Would it be possible for them to also add some sort of rain barrel program? Rain barrels are so expensive on an individual basis, but perhaps if the city issued a program where they could get them in bulk and let the residents sign up to get them, it would help everyone by lightening the load on the drainage system and offset the cost of watering our lawns and gardens. I think it would be a great plan for everyone!
Wolf's Bane
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:26 p.m.
I rode my bike through there this morning and it was dry.
Tom Teague
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:16 p.m.
To back up for a moment for a science break. As an earlier commenter said, the earth will indeed pass through the galactic "equator" around Dec 21, 2012. It will actually pass through the galactic equator twice next year. And twice this year. It did so twice last year, just as it has done twice each year since people began making accurate measures of celestial phenomena. That happens at the solstice. There is nothing cataclysmic or special about next year's winter solstice except that it dramatically corresponds to a tale that the Mayan Long Count calendar predicts the end of the world next year. None of that is causing the sewers to back up in Ann Arbor, MI, though. Tornadoes -- they weren't the topic, but the commenter brought it up -- are caused in part by the clash of cold and warm air along with other atmospheric conditions. But just as you say that tornado formation depends on cold air, it's just as accurate to say that it depends on warm air. I'd recommend that the Global Cooling folks not try to make that connection since it plays equally into the hands of the Global Warming enthusiasts. Although I believe the science that says we are experiencing Global Climate Change, I think it's not wise to blame individual weather events on it.
A2Since74
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 11:54 a.m.
Lynel, the pain never stops. We had our footing drain disconnected in 2002, and decided to buy a water backup system for $725 which was not covered by the city since backup pumps were not required by code at that time. Then there is the cost of maintenance. Four years ago we had to pay $250 or so to replace a leaking check valve in the backup system. The consequence of the drain disconnect project is first and foremost to provide developers a way to obtain permits to hook up new buildings to existing sanitary sewers. In order for the sanitary sewer system not to exceed capacity, for each new home hooked up one old home has to be disconnected. So if there was a problem with sanitary sewer backup before disconnect, it will continue unless additional capacity has been added. And if there was a problem with storm sewer backup before drain disconnect, it will continue unless additional capacity has been added. You cannot get something for nothing.
Epengar
Sat, May 28, 2011 : 5:05 a.m.
It's not a one-to-one correspondence between new hookups and old, capacity is being added. The City includes a 20% "system recovery" factor, so for every gallon of new hookup, 1.2 gallons have be disconnected from the system.
Will Warner
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 11:05 a.m.
It would be prohibitively expensive to build infrastructure that NEVER fails. Rarely fails has to be good enough. As with everything in life, there are tradeoffs. Of course, it is understandable that people whose basements are flooded with sewage are not so philosophical about it.
Vince Caruso
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 3:34 a.m.
We do need to do better. Storing sewage in peoples basements and dumping into the Huron River are totally unacceptable. There are ways to do better and for the same or less money then we spend now. Lets get out of the 1900's all ready. Sylvin Street was just paved with porous pavement. It has no runoff, no polluted water runs off. it is cleaned as it soaks in, has no heat island effect, is 70% less noisy and if done routinely would cost much less then our conventional polluting and flood prone streets. We need a study of the Allen's Creek before the BIG ONE so we know where to do the most good. 1,000-1,500 homes are at risk. We have funds, $M, for watershed art but no funds to do a meaningful study. These rain events are getting more common due to Climate Change and we were not ready before and less ready now. The status quo does not want to know the facts or deal with the reality. Lead follow or get out of the way.
treetowncartel
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 3:17 a.m.
So we can debate cause and effect, what do you think the indigenous folks did? I be;ieve they were able to move from the low lands to the higlandss in a quick and orderly fashion. Putting a cement bowl in the ground and then complaining about it filling up through existing holes is quite ridiculous. It is this same cement bowl that you utilize to keep the foreign bodies out.
Will Warner
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 12:01 a.m.
To quote (paraphrase?) John Adams (I think): Poor indeed is the man who knows but one way to spell a word. Enough with this spelling fetish! If the correct spelling of all words could be derived from a small set of first principles (like, say, Euclidian geometry) then it would be worth mastering. As it is, spelling is just memorization of a vast number of disembodied facts which gives people who like that sort of thing something they can be pedants about. Often it seems to me that several of the vowels would work in a word I'm trying to spell. Whi can't I just use the one I lyke?
andys
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:17 p.m.
Nycely dun, Will! You are my current "rockstar" poster on annarbor.com. Keep them coming.
Will Warner
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 10:44 a.m.
FredMax, you see what I'm talking about with the voules. For that wurd, MS Word likes it both ways. So we're both right, as it should be.
FredMax
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 2:16 a.m.
Euclidean;)
Monica R-W
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 2:11 a.m.
@Will, you rock! I was not going to comment on this story period because I believe the writer fully explained the main point of her article. After reading your awesome response, I could not help but to give you "Two Thumbs Up".
thorj97
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:01 a.m.
I think it was Twain, but I'm not sure.
David Briegel
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 12:34 a.m.
Will, LOL!!
Dog Guy
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 11:05 p.m.
Hoover and Division is downhill from city hall. It flows downhill.
John B.
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:55 p.m.
My, all this whining about a couple small grammatical errors. Did Fox recently issue a fatwa against Ms. Keeping? If so, I guess I didn't get that memo.
andys
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
Thank you, I was waiting for the "Fox News" and talking points memo references to come up, but I have not seen "Teapublikans"yet. Hmmm ... I'll keep reading.
lynel
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:40 p.m.
My neighbors and I were unfortunately part of the drain disconnect project. Many of us have had flooded basements twice so far this year, once or twice last year. The fiasco of this project just goes on and on. I have spent thousands of dollars since I got my city purchased sump pump, $5,000, $6,000 per household, thanks to the tax payers of AA. Who can stop them?
Mike
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:37 p.m.
We are actually in a cooling pattern which explains the uptick in tornadoes, you have to have an abundant of cold air for tornadoes to form. Look back to the mid 1970's when we had a large tornado outreak and the world was heading into the next ice age said chicken little. Then the globe was warming in the 1990's (of course it was) and now it is cooling again. I find it odd that not too long ago every headline spoke of "global warming" now it has been changed to "climate change" because global warming isn't. Climate change covers everything you can imagine because climate is not static. Read the story of chicken little. Climate change is a good way for politicians to impose a crippling energy tax on everyone to "save the planet and all of us on it". It's great to have a frightened population that doesn't think to impose your will upon. Throughout history it has been this way, only now we don't throw people in volcanoes we collect taxes and make targeted individuals and company's rich (Al Gore comes to mind).
RayA2
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 4:25 p.m.
It just kills me how willing cons are to swallow Rupert's self serving deception and how little cons know about global warming. Rupert's mouthpieces never argue the global warming mechanism or the measurements of CO2 and temperature. They only argue that global warming is not happening because the earth's is some sort of natural cycle. Global warming is happening due to a very simple and straightforward reason. Carbon dioxide levels have reached unprecedented levels thanks to human burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide and methane cause less of the sun's energy to refract back into space. The earth's climate itself is dynamic so the results of global warming are not easily measured. Cigarette companies, like energy companies are doing now (with Rupert's aggressive support) exploited this very same measurement difficulty to deceive smokers, thousands of whom died as a result. As the ice caps continue to melt at unprecedented speed, who do you think is getting fat off the profits?
IAmProsperous
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:30 p.m.
Let's consider that you, the reporter, is working in a town that has always been big on education. Now, let's also consider that your words are not going on newspaper but out on the web for eternity. With all that to consider, why did you consider proofing your story before issuing it? Here are just the first two examples I found in this story: 1. '...wastewater treatements...' (wastewater is two words: waste water; treatements is treatments - no e in the middle) 2. 'Sewage isn't the not ....'(read this now as obviously you did not read it before you issued it) There may be more but you lost credibility with these errors - if spelling and grammar for a journalist is this bad what errors are there in her research and/or reporting? PLEASE, do yourself a favor and proof your work. Sign me: A future Teacher
Rod Johnson
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 3:16 a.m.
"Wastewater" is an absolutely fine word--check any dictionary. And why capitalize "Teacher"? And what about "why did you consider..."? Forget something there? PLEASE, do your hypothetical students a favor and get some self-awareness.
Gramma
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:44 p.m.
Prosperous, You lost credibility by starting out with "you is." There are also other errors in your missive. Please proof your own writing when you are criticizing that of others.
A2Since74
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:19 p.m.
The drain disconnect project was supposed to alleviate this kind of flooding. in reality, the real purpose was to help new building development by allowing new properties to be added to the existing sewer lines when the older homes - the footing drains which handle the storm water - are disconnected from the sewer lines. So the net effect is no relief to either the sewer or the storm drainage lines, and the problem persists.
Epengar
Sat, May 28, 2011 : 5:09 a.m.
When the city allows new properties to hook, they include an additional 20% of capacity in the tradeoff. So of all the load on the sanitary system being relieved by the footing drain disconnect program, only 80% at most of the capacity is being made available for new connections. <a href="http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/05/15/dda-preps-downtown-ann-arbor-process/#sanitary" rel='nofollow'>http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/05/15/dda-preps-downtown-ann-arbor-process/#sanitary</a>
Epengar
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
It's still a good idea to get storm water out of the sanitary sewer system, even if the city is granting more building permits. It's much more expensive dispose of sewage than storm water. @lynel, is your basement flooded with sewage, or just ground water? I wonder how many times your basement would have flooded if the disconnect had not been made.
lynel
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:39 p.m.
My neighbors and I were unfortunately part of the drain disconnect project. Many of us have had flooded basements twice so far this year, once or twice last year. The fiasco of this project just goes on and on. I have spent thousands of dollars since I got my city purchased sump pump, $5,000, $6,000 per household, thanks to the tax payers of AA. Who can stop them?
John A2
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 9:36 p.m.
WOW, a lot of smart people here. I say we have no control over the climate change, nor the weather. This, is in my opinion is caused by the solar system moving into the center plain of our galaxy. The temperature on all our planets are heating up. This is whats in store for us all. 2012 is going to be the worst year people have ever saw and the earth will heat up even more trough the next four years before we start coming out of the center plain. I say all the earth quakes, tornado's, flooding is because of our position in the galaxy, and has very little to do with us and pollution.
RayA2
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 4:09 p.m.
And your source is? (If, as I suspect, your source is on Rupert Murdoch's payroll, forget about maintaining credibility)
John B.
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 11:04 p.m.
I say that makes no sense.
Kai Petainen
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 9 p.m.
"Janis Bobrin, Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner, oversees over 400 storm drains in the county flowing into various watershed systems." According to this document: <a href="http://www.oseh.umich.edu/pdf/guideline/SWMP2010.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.oseh.umich.edu/pdf/guideline/SWMP2010.pdf</a> 88 outfalls fall under University of Michigan, and UofM has the authority over those outfalls. As such, it would seem appropriate to ask the University of Michigan for a comment. "Unlike a municipality, the UM does not maintain the equivalent of a city code to regulate storm water discharges. In this regard, the UM bears a close resemblance to a private industry. However, the UM does operate and maintain a separate storm water system which collects runoff from areas... .... In this regard, the University's storm water system is representative of similar systems owned by municipalities." "The UM has the authority to implement storm water management programs and to control, regulate, and enforce discharges to the storm water system through Article VIII-5 of the Constitution of the State of Michigan of 1963." "The UM, through the board of Regents, therefore has the power to promulgate regulations for the operation, management, and maintenance of the storm water system, as well as the power to control illicit discharges, spills, and dumping. The UM has the legal authority to operate its storm water system in a manner necessary to comply with the applicable regulations" It should also be noted, that according to that document, the UofM is to file this report: "The number of calls received by the DPS/OSEH emergency response call system on potential discharges to the storm water system will be tracked for subsequent reporting. The number of incidents remedied as a result of these calls will also be tracked and reported annually."
Epengar
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 8:20 p.m.
The city is going to a lot of trouble to get stormwater out of sanitary sewer lines, that's what the footing drain disconnection program is doing: <a href="http://www.a2fdd.com/home.cfm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2fdd.com/home.cfm</a> I wonder if the houses on Division are dumping stormwater into the sewer there.
Heardoc
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.
Ummm.... the city has been collecting taxes on the sewer system for many years (over 20) and that money was to be utilized for the maintenance and upgrade of the sewer system. Problem in Ann Arbor is that the elected individualsv (Mostly liberal democrats) have squandered this money on items not related to the sewer system. Now these same folks (liberal democrats) want MORE money to fix a problem that really should have never occurred. Spending money frivolously is coming home to roost.
RayA2
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 4:05 p.m.
Liberal democrats responsible for using money from a fund earmarked for another purpose? Sounds like something Slick has done with the K-12 school fund.
mun
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 12:35 a.m.
Gee! Are liberal democrats also to blame for that thing in Joplin, MO?
Gramma
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:14 p.m.
The info about sewer systems across the country has been public for years. Why has there been no public concern about this? It's easy to not vote, then criticize the politicians, while we sit back and do nothing. It would be good to get some grassroots things going. People were more than glad to watch all the wetlands torn up, now they complain about the results. Get those rainbarrels and naturalize at least a part of your yard. Go to City Hall mtgs. See what you can do as a volunteer to maintain our natural water systems (rivers, wetlands, etc). Complaining while doing nothing only adds to the bread and circuses (food and entertainment) atmosphere.
David Briegel
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.
you left out evil and socialist and communist and marxist.
David Briegel
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.
Kinda gives an additional meaning to our Tree City designation. Well Fertilized. We "paved paradise and put up a parking lot". A lot of lots.
treetowncartel
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 3:13 a.m.
Pimpin in your Mercedes again Mr Briegel?
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 7:57 p.m.
One of these people is a spokesperson for a special interest group so she's just doing her job. But the second, is a highly paid, elected offical who was supposed to be overseeing this sort of issue for Washtenaw County. You might be happy with, sorry it rained too much and I didn't plan for it, sorry chumps. But I'm not. And both of these folks were on board and cheerleaders for the Giant Urinal Water Fountain at the new City Hall. Perhaps if we'd spent that nearly one million on drainage projects...oh never mind too late. "Rubin suggested planting rain gardens in low-lying areas that sop up and then slowly release rainwater and using a rain barrel to capture some of the water." Rubin would have been a hoot during the Mississipi River flood too.
Kai Petainen
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 9:31 p.m.
The HRWC is a good group, good people, with good intentions. They've helped quite a bit in the Ann Arbor area. I actually like the group, BUT... (apart from what I've said they said), they never spoke up publicly (as far as I know) when the Huron River had a non-rain event-created spill. The river had a large spill for this area, and the HRWC said nothing publicly? Sometimes I get the feeling that good events are highlighted, money is requested and some bad events are (at least publicly) ignored. That being said, I like that Rubin is speaking about the pollution and run-off, but when it comes to phosphor, and as UofM has 88 of the outfalls in this area, then the question must be asked "Is phosphoric acid being used in any construction/parking lot cleaning/work?" I don't know if it is -- but if it is, then public education must not only focus in on phosphors on lawns, but other places as well.
mentalNomad
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 8:18 p.m.
So the City Hall fountain was a mistake, but can we start thinking of solutions going forward and not harping on it?
Scarlet
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 7:54 p.m.
I must agree with A2lite - there are way too many errors in this article, but I'd say this is typical for AnnArbor.com.
Gramma
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:18 p.m.
It might be helpful to focus on the info in the article and take personal action to help improve the situation rather than spending time looking for typos to criticize.
John B.
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.
Seriously? I see a couple minor issues, but that's about it. Hardly anything to cause your knickers to bunch up....
bereasonable
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 7:52 p.m.
A rain barrel? C'mon. I know these are a good idea, but to suggest that a 40 gallon barrel catching water off a 1500 sq ft home would not overfill and dump all that water back where you were trying to keep it from is a stretch! If it didn't overfill, what are you going to do, water your soggy garden with it?
Mick52
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 1:02 a.m.
I have rain barrels, four of them. If you get a good one, you run a hose from a connection near the top which drains it if it overflows. Works well. You can also connect two or more together. Mine are 50+ gallons and they are great. It is amazing how much water comes off your roof.
mentalNomad
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 8:14 p.m.
The water collected in the rain barrel could be saved for later, and overflow could be directed into a rain garden or just into your grass. If every house in A2 had one, then it would reduce the amount of water going into the storm drains.
Gramma
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 7:47 p.m.
Sewage systems in most cities in the US were built for smaller populations and are not adequate for today's needs. Add that so many areas that previously filtered water and allowed it to drain are covered by concrete and, apparently, the increased rain coming with climate change and we could be looking at major disasters in the future.
A2ite
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 7:33 p.m.
Sorry, there were so many typos, grammatical errors and run--on sentences in this article, it was difficult to get all the way through it. But the topic was a great eye catcher for your 3 at 3 e-blast!
A2ite
Fri, May 27, 2011 : 2:39 p.m.
Sorry, I don't get paid to write, but I do appreciate that Juliana made updates to the article after my comment.
John B.
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 11 p.m.
@beard: The second sentence of the OP starts with "but." Last time that I checked, that was a conjunction. Please think before you spout.
beard
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 10:20 p.m.
"sorry" is an adjective, not a conjunction.
Elizabeth Scott
Thu, May 26, 2011 : 7:44 p.m.
Sorry, your comment is poorly worded, and you started a sentence with a conjunction. Nice attempt to slam a writer, though.