HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Michigan lawmakers proposed legislation that would create a new alert system to notify residents when raw sewage contaminates local waterways, addressing long-standing concerns about water quality in communities like Harrison Township.
State Representatives Alicia St. Germaine and Ron Robinson introduced the bill, which would establish a “Brown Alert” system modeled after existing emergency notification systems like Amber Alerts.
“Right after a raw sewage discharge, we shouldn’t have people paddleboarding on the Clinton River or launching kayaks. They need timely notifications so they can make an informed decision whether they want to go on that waterway,” St. Germaine said.
The proposed system would require county drain or public works commissioners to notify local emergency managers within 12 hours of the water reaching dangerous contamination levels.
“If something like this were to happen, people should be notified in real-time, and in a lot of cases, it’s not reported for weeks or sometimes months afterwards, and by then, what are you going to do about it?” Robinson said.
Many Harrison Township residents have witnessed signs of water contamination firsthand.
“The other day, when we had a big rain and you could see chunks of what I’m going to call ‘things’ floating down the river that appeared to be untreated sewage. It was awful,” said Jim Constantino.
“It’s frightening because it looks beautiful, but you don’t know what’s lurking underneath that water—bacteria, everything else. It’s scary,” said Robin Binghan.
On Monday (May 12), state legislators toured the Oakland County facility.
“We are at the facility. We are learning more. We are putting the feet to the fire, so to speak. What are the steps that the state is going to take to make sure our water quality is clean?” St. Germaine said.
“I don’t care about pointing fingers. We want to put a stop to this,” Robinson said.
While some residents welcome the proposed alert system, community reactions remain mixed.
“It really makes the alarm bells go off in your head and say, ‘I’m not going near that water if there is a brown alert,” Binghan said.
Others question if the notification is really needed.
“I don’t think you need it. Just don’t touch the water,” Constantino.
The bill was introduced last week and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller declined to comment on the proposed legislation.
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash could not be reached for comment.
The director of Emergency Management and Communications for Macomb County said, “We’re reviewing it internally and having discussions to assess how it would impact our operations.”
