The Department of Environmental Quality announced today that it has reached a settlement with Muskegon County regarding water violations.

The county owns and operates the Muskegon County Wastewater Management System, Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the 66-inch force main that carries raw sewage under pressure approximately 11 miles to the WWTP. A catastrophic failure of the 66-inch force main occurred on March 2, 2007, discharging over a period of 4 days approximately 25 million gallons of raw sewage to area lakes and streams, and resulted in the evacuation of at least a dozen homes.

The settlement agreement requires the county to replace 8.5 miles of defective force main by February 28, 2013. The new sewer construction will be a vast improvement over what is currently in place which is over 25 years old and has experienced similar catastrophic failures over the past several years, including 3 since 1999 including the March 2, 2007 failure. The new force main will be made from stronger ductile iron pipe to better withstand the surge pressures that occur in the pipeline and thereby provide a higher level of environmental protection.

In addition to the force main replacement project, the county agrees to pay the state of Michigan $6,137.36 for partial compensation of enforcement costs and a civil fine of $40,000.

"This settlement is a tremendous step forward in the protection of Muskegon County's environment, and the health of its citizens," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. "I appreciate the county's commitment to working with us and developing a plan that could be used as a model for other communities with aging infrastructure."

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised June 6, 2008 by Pat Watson