http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/METRO03/707160321/1014
Grant to help plan sewer overflow
fix
State funds go toward designing a sewage line to collect
spills before they get to
Jim Lynch / The
FRASER
-- When the rain comes in Fraser, the overflows begin -- raw sewage spilling
into the Sweeney Drain and eventually making its way to
It has been
a problem for the city for years, but now officials are collecting the tools
needed to fix the problem. Fraser recently received a $250,000 grant from the
state earmarked for designing a new sewer line to solve the overflow issues. In
addition, Fraser officials have been working with the Macomb County Public Works
Department to secure capacity that will allow the city's new interceptor to tie
into the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department
system.
Should all
go according to plan, the new line would be built and hooked up in two to three
years.
"I would
not anticipate the project getting under construction until 2009," said Jeff
Bremer, Fraser city manager. The sewer system is outdated and incapable of
handling the demands placed on it during major rain
storms.
But while
the progress is welcomed by the local environmental community, some are unhappy
with the pace.
"So far
this year, Fraser has dumped about 3 million gallons of raw sewage into the
Sweeney Drain," said Doug Martz, chairman of the Macomb County Water Quality
Board. "That leads to the Harrington Drain, the
Three years
ago, the state forced Fraser to begin thinking about a long-term solution by
entering into an agreement in which the city would fix its sewer line problems
by the end of 2007. Bremer said the city will not make that deadline, but state
officials have been kept informed on the status of the
project.
Once
completed, the new sewer line would stretch three miles, running along
You can reach Jim Lynch at (586)
468-0520 or jlynch@detnews.com.