Detroit Water and Sewerage Department

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department

Company type	Public utility
Industry	Water supply and sanitation
Headquarters	Detroit , United States
Area served	Detroit, Michigan and 126 additional municipalities across seven counties
Products	Water and sewer services
Number of employees	2000
Website	detroitmi.gov/departments/detroit-water-and-sewerage-department

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is a public utility responsible for delivering water and sewer services to Detroit, Michigan, and holds infrastructure assets that serve 126 additional municipalities across seven counties. It is recognized as one of the largest water and sewer systems nationwide. In the year 2000, DWSD operated five water treatment facilities drawing water from the Detroit River and Lake Huron. By mid-2014, the department was burdened with substantial debt and a high volume of overdue payments, which triggered discussions about possible privatization. Following Detroit’s municipal bankruptcy, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) was created on January 1, 2016, entering into a $50 million annual lease agreement spanning four decades. Consequently, DWSD's focus narrowed exclusively to serving Detroit city customers, while regional operations were transferred to GLWA.

Overview

Covering an extensive area of 1,079 square miles, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department provides services to over 40 percent of Michigan’s population, employing close to 2,000 staff members. Its service network extends beyond Detroit into Genesee, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, St. Clair, Lapeer, and Monroe counties. As of 2000, the system included approximately 11,000 miles of water mains with storage facilities capable of holding 363 million gallons.

At that time, nearly four million customers within Detroit and its metropolitan region relied on DWSD, which operated five treatment plants—Waterworks Park, Springwells, Northeast, Southwest, and Lake Huron—utilizing three raw water intakes sourced from two locations in the Detroit River and one in Lake Huron. These plants applied a series of treatment steps including pre-chlorination, rapid mixing, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, followed by chlorine disinfection.

A survey conducted in 1992 highlighted infrastructure issues: nine out of 119 water providers supplied by DWSD reported extensive use of unlined cast-iron pipes that contributed to frequent complaints about red or rusty water caused by iron leaching from the pipes.

Contemporary issues

On March 9, 2020, the City of Detroit launched a COVID-19 Water Restart Plan aimed at maintaining access to water during the pandemic crisis. This initiative targeted residents whose water service had been suspended due to unpaid bills or who had received disconnection notices. The program remained active through December 31, 2020, offering service at a reduced rate of $25 per month—substantially lower than standard charges. Within the first three months, DWSD reinstated service for approximately 1,200 occupied households. Even before the pandemic struck, many Detroit residents faced difficulties keeping up with water payments resulting in frequent service shutoffs.

The city’s water affordability crisis originated in 2014 amid municipal bankruptcy proceedings when DWSD began discontinuing service for unpaid accounts. At that time, nearly half of customers were delinquent with an average outstanding balance around $560; these amounts have since increased. For example, Lisa Brooks was enrolled in a payment plan requiring $100 monthly—about 17% of her income—but struggled with missed payments despite support from advocacy groups such as We The People of Detroit and her family. An estimated 80% of residents lacking direct home water access resorted to sharing or borrowing water from others—a situation that posed serious public health risks during COVID-19. This hazard influenced government decisions to implement the Water Restart Plan.

Activists have consistently called for a sliding-scale affordability program to make water rates more accessible for low-income households. However, city leadership has preferred targeted assistance programs like the Water Residential Assistance Program instead of sliding-scale fee structures. While the long-term outlook for residents after the Water Restart Plan remains unclear, initiatives continue toward developing a more affordable and sustainable urban water system within Detroit.

By June 2014, DWSD was grappling with significant financial liabilities and overdue accounts amid ongoing privatization debates. Collection efforts focused on reducing bad debt in preparation for potential private sector involvement. At that time, half of DWSD’s 323,000 accounts were delinquent; weekly disconnections affected up to 3,000 accounts carrying balances exceeding $150 or overdue by more than two months. The department’s debt was estimated at around $5 billion.

Attempts to disconnect water services for delinquent corporate accounts have been limited. For instance, Vargo Golf owed more than $538,000 across multiple properties under city contracts. Media attention included coverage by Jon Stewart highlighting unpaid bills at prominent venues such as Ford Field and Joe Louis Arena.

In June 2014, activists from Blue Planet Project raised concerns with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. They argued that Detroit’s move toward privatizing water services threatened fundamental human rights.

Further reading

• Investigation of factors influencing the ozonation of taste- and odor-causing substances in Detroit's source water. Water Science and Technology. Pages 115–122.
• Detroit residents face water disputes with the city. NBC News.
• Difficult decisions Detroit faces amid water shutoffs to its population. The Washington Post.
• Examining who drained Detroit's water resources. Vice.
• Detroit announces plans for mass water shutoffs due to unpaid bills. CBS Detroit.
• Detroit’s water director expresses willingness to provide emergency water to Flint without conditions. MLive.

External links

• Official website