Great Lakes Water Authority

Great Lakes Water Authority
Company type	Regional water authority
Industry	Water supply, Wastewater treatment
Founded	2014
Headquarters	Detroit, United States
Area served	Southeast Michigan (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb counties and others)
Key people	Suzanne Coffey (CEO)
Products	Drinking water treatment and distribution, Wastewater collection and treatment
Number of employees	900

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Great Lakes Water Authority, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) operates as a regional water authority in Michigan, delivering services related to drinking water treatment and distribution, as well as wastewater collection and treatment for the Southeast Michigan area. This includes the counties of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb. GLWA oversees the majority of water and sewer infrastructure that was previously managed by the Detroit Water Sewer District (DWSD) prior to Detroit's financial restructuring.

History

Formed in the autumn of 2014 pursuant to a United States bankruptcy court directive amid the Detroit bankruptcy case, GLWA's creation was endorsed by the Detroit City Council in September 2014. Subsequently, county commissions of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb gave their approval in October 2014. The inaugural meeting of the GLWA board took place on December 12, 2014.

On June 12, 2015, a landmark 40-year lease agreement was ratified, representing a major step toward regionalizing water management—a move commended by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. This contract enables Detroit to secure funding for essential infrastructure improvements such as repairs to treatment plants and pipe replacements. Funds from lease payments are strictly allocated to water system enhancements and are not redirected to Detroit’s general budget. The transition led to a reduction in DWSD’s workforce from approximately 1,400 employees to about 500; meanwhile, GLWA’s staff numbers around 900.

In October 2015, following an extensive national search, Sue McCormick—previously the director of DWSD—was named GLWA’s inaugural chief executive officer.

GLWA officially assumed operational control from DWSD on January 1, 2016, taking on $4 billion in debt as part of the 40-year lease agreement for Detroit’s water infrastructure. This arrangement emerged from confidential mediation overseen by U.S. District Judge Sean Cox, involving intricate discussions between Detroit officials and suburban leaders wary of financial liabilities. Under the lease terms, GLWA commits to paying Detroit $50 million annually plus an additional $50 million dedicated to pension obligations and customer assistance initiatives.

Governance

The governance structure of the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) consists of a board of directors with two members representing the City of Detroit and one member each from Oakland, Macomb, Wayne counties, along with one appointed by the State of Michigan. The Detroit representatives are selected by the city’s mayor; county representatives are appointed by their respective county boards; and the state representative is chosen by the governor to represent users beyond the three primary counties, including areas such as Washtenaw, Genesee, and Monroe.

GLWA’s central administrative offices are located in the Water Board Building at 735 Randolph Street in downtown Detroit. This facility contains both the board meeting chamber and executive offices.

Sue McCormick stepped down as GLWA’s founding CEO on July 28, 2021, following criticism related to a significant sewer pumping failure during heavy rains in June 2021. Suzanne Coffey, who had been serving as chief planning officer, was named interim CEO on August 11, 2021, before being confirmed as permanent CEO on June 27, 2022.

Board of Directors
Name	Position	Representing
Brian Baker	Board Chairperson	Macomb County
Mark Miller	Board Vice-Chairperson	State of Michigan
John J. Zech	Board Secretary	Wayne County
Jaye Quadrozzi	Member	Oakland County
Freman Hendrix	Member	City of Detroit
Gary A. Brown	Member	City of Detroit

Services

The utility organization provides drinking water treatment, water transmission, wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment services to close to four million customers spanning roughly 125 communities in Michigan, including areas within Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and several other counties. Around three-quarters of these customers reside in suburban locations, while the remainder are situated in Detroit. The GLWA oversees combined sewer overflow (CSO) facilities, booster pump stations for drinking water, in-system storage units, and wastewater pumping stations. However, the responsibility for local water distribution mains and sanitary sewer systems remains with the individual municipalities.

Located at 6425 Huber Street in Detroit, the Central Services Facility (CSF) functions as the main hub for field maintenance personnel who manage non-treatment infrastructure within the water distribution and wastewater collection networks. This encompasses major raw sewage pumping stations positioned along primary interceptors as well as booster stations for drinking water within the system. Additionally, the CSF contains a centralized fusion control center that monitors all treatment plants, CSO infrastructure, and security camera systems throughout GLWA properties.

Distribution system member communities

The authority intended to finalize water rates by March 2016 and implement them starting July 1 of that year. For the initial ten years following implementation, annual rate increases are limited to a maximum of four percent.

Drinking Water Treatment

GLWA manages a network of five drinking water treatment plants, a single wastewater reclamation facility, nine combined sewer overflow treatment and screening sites, multiple water storage and booster pump stations, along with a centralized maintenance hub. Most of these facilities are situated within the Detroit metropolitan region, except for the Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant, which is positioned in Fort Gratiot Township, north of Port Huron, Michigan.

Each drinking water plant employs sedimentation and deep bed filtration processes for water purification, followed by disinfection using either chlorination or ozonation techniques.

**Facilities for Drinking Water Treatment**
Facility	Location	Municipality	Year Built	Rated Capacity (MGD)	Maximum Pumping Capacity (MGD)	Finished Water Storage (MG)	Source Water	Service Area
Waterworks Park Water Treatment Plant	10100 East Jefferson Avenue	Detroit	1879 Original 2003 Expansion	240	560	28	Detroit River	East Detroit/Wayne County
Northeast Water Treatment Plant	11036 East 8 Mile Road	Detroit	1956	300	400	30	Detroit River	Northeast Detroit/Wayne County, Southern Macomb County, Southeast Oakland County
Springwells Water Treatment Plant	8300 West Warren Avenue	Dearborn	1930 First Train 1958 Second Train	540	450	60	Detroit River - Belle Isle Intake	Detroit and Northern Wayne County, Eastern Washtenaw County, Oakland County, Southeastern Macomb County
Southwest Water Treatment Plant	14700 Moran Road	Allen Park	1964	240	310	30	Detroit River	Southern Wayne County, Northern Monroe County, Eastern Washtenaw County
Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant	3993 Metcalf Road	Fort Gratiot Township	1974	400	420	44	Lake Huron	Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Monroe, Oakland Counties
			Totals	1,720	2,400	192

Drinking Water Distribution

Storage and Booster Pump Stations for Drinking Water
Facility Name	Address	Municipality	Purpose	Storage Capacity (MG)
Adams Road Pump Station	6201 Adams Road	Bloomfield Hills	Booster Pump Station
Eastside Station	18301 East Warren Ave	Detroit	Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Electric Avenue Station	1140 Montie Avenue	Lincoln Park	Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Ford Road Station	26015 Ford Road	Dearborn Heights	Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Franklin Station	7404 Inkster Road	West Bloomfield	Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Haggerty Station	39955 West 14 Mile Road	Novi	Water Storage and Booster Pump Station	70
Imlay Pump Station	430 Wheeling Road	Imlay City	Water Storage and Booster Pump Station
Joy Road Station	43127 Joy Road	Canton Township	"Water Storage and Booster Pump Station"

Combined Sewer Overflow Mitigation and Pollution Management

Within Detroit's historic combined sewer network, the Great Lakes Water Authority operates nine facilities dedicated to preventing combined sewer overflow (CSO) pollution. Built between the late 1990s and early 2000s, these installations are designed to treat wastewater during wet weather, thereby avoiding the release of untreated sewage into surrounding water bodies.

Originally, Detroit’s combined sewer infrastructure conveyed both sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff, which resulted in the discharge of raw sewage into waterways during significant rainfall events. To comply with the Clean Water Act, the establishment of CSO control facilities became necessary to reduce environmental harm.

Conner Creek CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 11900 Freud Street Combined Sewer Retention Floatable Material Screening Effluent Disinfection Detroit Detroit River \{\{Coord\|42\|21\|45.15\|N\|82\|57\|28.93\|W\|\display=\}\} Leib CSO Screening and Disinfection Facility 2198 Mt. Elliott Street Floatable Material Screening Effluent Disinfection Detroit Detroit River \{\{Coord\|42\|21\|14.93\|N\|83\|0\|58.75\|W\|\display=\}\} St. Aubin CSO Screening and Disinfection Facility 2122 Atwater Street Floatable Material Screening Effluent Disinfection Detroit Detroit River \{\{Coord\|42\|20\|1.59\|N\|83\|1\|21.56\|W\|\display=\}\} Oakwood CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 12082 Pleasant Avenue Combined Sewer Retention Floatable Material Screening Detroit Rouge River \{\{Coord\|42\|16\|57.26\|N\|83\|8\|37.14\|W\|\display=\}\} Baby Creek CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 9545 Dix Avenue Combined Sewer Retention Floatable Material Screening Effluent Disinfection Dearborn Rouge River \{\{Coord\|42\|18\|28.96\|N\|83\|8\|26.79 \}\} Hubbell-Southfield CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 16200 Rotunda Drive Combined Sewer Retention Floatable Material Screening Dearborn Rouge River \{\{Coord \|42 \ |18 \ |29.43 \ |N \ |83 \ |12 \ |23.89 \}\} Puritan-Fenkell CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 23675 Fenkell Avenue Combined Sewer Retention Detroit Rouge River \{\{Coord \ |42 \ |23 \ |57.67 \ |N \ |83 \ |16 \ |19.07 \}\} Seven Mile CSO Retention and Treatment Basin 19300 Shiawassee Drive Combined Sewer Retention Detroit Rouge River \{\{Coord \ |42 \ |25 \ |53.95 \ |N \ |83 \ |16 \ |20.71 \}\}

GLWA Combined Sewer Overflow Facilities
Facility Name	Location	Purpose	City	Receiving Waterbody	Coordinates
Belle Isle CSO Retention and Treatment Basin	1500 Belle Isle	Combined Sewer Retention Floatable Material Screening Effluent Disinfection	Detroit	Detroit River	42\\|20\\|19.95\\|N\\|82\\|59\\|51.35\\|W\\|\display=\}\}

Intermediate Sewage Pump Stations

GLWA Sewage Pump Stations
Facility Name	Location	Purpose	Municipality
Bluehill Pump Station	Mack Avenue	Combined sewer pumping facility on the Detroit River Interceptor	Detroit
Conner Creek Pump Station		Combined sewer pumping facility on the Detroit River Interceptor	Detroit
Freud Pump Station	669 Tennessee Street	Combined sewer pumping facility	Detroit
Fairview Pump Station		Combined sewer pumping facility on the Detroit River Interceptor	Detroit
Northeast Pump Station	11000 East 8 Mile Road	Sewer pumping facility	Detroit
Woodmere Pump Station		Combined sewer pumping facility on the Oakwood Interceptor	Detroit

Water Resource Recovery / Wastewater Pollution Control

All sewage collected within the Great Lakes Water Authority’s service area is processed at the GLWA Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF), situated at 9300 W. Jefferson Avenue. Ranking as the second largest single-site wastewater treatment plant in North America, it was originally constructed in 1940 at a cost of $10 million and currently manages up to 1,890 million gallons per day of wet-weather sewage. Designed to handle both stormwater and sanitary flows, the WRRF functions primarily as a wet-weather treatment plant with flow volumes fluctuating according to precipitation.

Raw sewage is transported to the WRRF via two principal interceptors: the Detroit River Interceptor (DRI), which serves the eastern sector, and the Oakwood Interceptor, which collects from western suburban areas. Both interceptors deliver wastewater to Pump Station No. 1, the main intake for the facility.

Since its establishment, the WRRF has undergone numerous enhancements including installation of primary clarifiers in 1953 and 1957, implementation of polymer and ferric chloride dosing systems along with chlorination in 1970, and expansions for secondary treatment following compliance with the Clean Water Act of 1972. These upgrades introduced aeration tanks, secondary clarifiers, oxygen generation plants, and improved biosolids processing capabilities.

Significant components of the WRRF encompass two medium-lift pump stations, fourteen primary clarifiers, four aeration basins, thirty secondary clarifiers, twenty-two sludge dewatering belt filter presses, eight multiple-hearth incinerators, as well as chlorination and dechlorination systems for effluent disinfection and chlorine removal.

Water Resource Recovery Facility
Process Component	Description of Process	Equipment Used	Subsequent Liquid Treatment Stage	Subsequent Solids Treatment Stage
Pump Station No. 1	Elevates raw sewage from Detroit River and Oakwood Interceptors; removes floatable debris and grit; adds ferric chloride for settling enhancement; contains eight medium-lift pumps	Eight Flowserve pumps with capacities ranging from 135 to 230 MGD	Bar screens and grit chambers	Primary clarifiers
Pump Station No. 2	Elevates raw sewage originating from Oakwood Interceptor; removes floatables and grit; equipped with eight medium-lift pumps	Eight Flowserve pumps rated at 95 MGD	Bar screens and grit chambers	Primary clarifiers
Primary Clarification	Separates primary organic solids through gravity settling using circular and rectangular basins	Six Evoqua circular clarifiers (180 MGD each) plus twelve chain-and-flight rectangular clarifiers	Aeration basins	Biosolids dewatering
Aeration Basin	Performs biological nutrient removal targeting nitrogen, phosphorus, and organics using surface mixers combined with liquid oxygen diffusers	Four activated sludge basins, each with 310 MGD capacity	Secondary clarifiers
Secondary Clarifiers	Settles waste-activated sludge for recycling back to aeration basins upstream	Twenty-five clarifiers rated at 40 MGD each	Chlorine contact conduits	Biosolids dewatering
Chlorination	Disinfects secondary effluent by generating hypochlorous acid from chlorine gas mixed with potable water	Ten chlorine gas feeders with an 8,000 lb/day capacity	Discharge to Detroit River / Rouge River
Dechlorination	Eliminates residual chlorine from treated effluent utilizing sulfur dioxide gas feeders	Eight sulfur dioxide feeders with a capacity of 7,600 lb/day	Discharge to Detroit River / Rouge River
Dewatering	Reduces moisture content in sludge via belt filter presses	Ten Komline-Sanderson and twelve Ashbrook belt filter presses	Discharge to Oakwood Interceptor
Incineration	Burns dewatered sludge cake; flue gases are scrubbed prior to emission	Eight Nichols-Hereschoff multiple hearth furnaces	Discharge to Oakwood Interceptor
Biosolids Drying Facility	Produces pelletized fertilizer sold wholesale; operated by New England Fertilizer Company (NEFCO)	Four drum dryers capable of processing 421 dry tons/day	Centrifuge centrate discharged to Detroit River Interceptor

The WRRF’s liquid oxygen generation equipment supports the activated sludge aeration process essential for biological nutrient removal.

Incidents

On March 4, 2016, a significant two-alarm blaze caused extensive damage to belt conveyors at the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) Water Resource Recovery Facility located in Detroit, resulting in approximately $40 million in losses. These conveyors are responsible for transporting dewatered biosolids into eight incinerators. The fire was determined to have been triggered by excessive sludge accumulation, inadequate maintenance practices, and operational deficiencies.

During the weekend of June 28, 2021, heavy rainfall led to partial failure of the Conner Creek and Freud Pump Stations near the Detroit River. This disruption diminished sewage pumping capabilities and resulted in raw sewage flooding thousands of basements across Grosse Pointe and Chalmers. An external expert has been engaged to examine the root causes.

On August 21, 2022, a rupture occurred on a 120-inch concrete precast water transmission main situated downstream of the Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant in Fort Gratiot Township. This incident prompted a Boil Water Advisory impacting 23 municipalities. Restoration work was finalized by September 6, with full service reinstated by September 21.

A break on a 30-inch water transmission main along Baseline Road in Northville on January 26, 2024, caused roadway collapse and flooding in adjacent residences. During repair operations, customers were urged to minimize water consumption.

On February 17, 2025, a failure occurred on a 54-inch steel water transmission main dating back to the 1930s at the intersection of Beard Street and Rowan Street in southwest Detroit. The break led to severe flooding affecting roughly 200 homes and created a large sinkhole. Repair efforts were complicated by freezing conditions that stranded vehicles in floodwaters. GLWA personnel encountered difficulties locating isolation valves beneath ice and snow during the response.