The Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources, and the Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed will be hosting a presentation on E. coli and phosphorus in urban stormwater, on October 3, at 7 p.m. at the Bay City State Recreation Area Visitors Center.

In Bay and Saginaw Counties, 25 governmental units have stormwater discharge permits. Dave Drullinger of the DEQ's Water Bureau will present information on required controls in these stormwater permits, compare them with known or suspected sources of phosphorus and E. coli, and look at how effective the permit controls are for reduction of the phosphorus and E. coli loads to the Bay. Dave will look at typical challenges that keep permitted municipalities from achieving the maximum reduction of phosphorus and bacteria in stormwater discharges, and consider ways to overcome these challenges.

Mr. Drullinger's presentation is the second in a series of discussions that will occur over the next few months on E. coli impacts on Saginaw Bay and approaches to reduce these impacts, a priority issue identified through the Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative.

Details of the Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative and additional information are available online at http://www.michigan.gov/deq under "Issues to Watch."

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 September 30, 2008 by Pat Watson