LANSING – Downriver water systems would see the same controls on their waste water as Detroit already faces under a plan released Wednesday to reduce pollutants in Lake Erie that contribute to algae blooms.
The Department of Environmental Quality announced it was seeking comment on the plan that also calls for reductions in phosphorus from the Maumee River Basin, as well as more research into other causes of the blooms that have affected drinking water systems in the southern end of the Lake Erie Basin.
The Wayne County Downriver Wastewater Treatment Plant would face limits consistent with those already in place for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which would see its current limits continue.
But the plan calls for a study of the River Raisin as well, to determine what has reduced phosphorus run-off in that basin and how that could be copied in other regions.
The department would also support studies on the algae blooms to better determine their causes and timing.
The plan is posted on the DEQ website. Comments are being accepted on the plan through December 7 and can be submitted to Laura Smith at [email protected].
This story was published for Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, www.gongwer.com
