Mount Clemens utilities report: wastewater peak handled without discharge to Lake St. Clair after upgrades

Mount Clemens utilities staff told the city commission that recent operational improvements at the water‑filtration and wastewater treatment plants allowed the city to treat a peak wastewater flow event without discharging pollutants to Lake St. Clair.

In the first quarter, the water‑filtration plant averaged about 61.66 million gallons of production per month and the wastewater plant averaged about 125.5 million gallons of flow per month, utilities staff reported. During a heavy‑rain and melt event in March, the peak one‑day flow reached 10.84 million gallons — slightly over the plant’s rated capacity — but staff said the retention treatment basin was emptied and the additional flow was treated without a lake discharge.

The utilities presentation described a string of equipment repairs and upgrades completed this quarter: installation of a new influent flow meter after failure of the prior unit, rebuilding of wastewater grit‑washer units with replacement of shaft and auger components, rebuilding of chemical‑feed pumps and replacement of associated piping, and evaluation and repair of the filtration plant generator. Staff said these improvements helped prevent an overflow and avoided regulatory fines.

Why it matters: Preventing a discharge to Lake St. Clair avoids environmental harm and potential regulatory penalties; equipment reliability and planned solids cleanup reduce the risk of future events.

Next steps: Utilities staff said they will dewater and clean solids from the retention basin during warmer weather, continue monitoring influent flows and pursue routine equipment maintenance and reporting obligations including pre‑treatment and pollutant‑minimization reports.