A program to give free rain barrels to Macomb County residents in two cities has expanded to a third community.

It’s all hands on deck as emergency construction gets underway to stabilize, restore and protect the banks of an open channel drain from continuing severe erosion.

Macomb County Public Works Office has announced operational changes to prevent the combination of sanitary sewage and stormwater from going into Lake St. Clair.

The mystery behind a Macomb County creek turning neon green has been solved.

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced it will begin working with state and local governments to conduct testing of sewage for the coronavirus. In Michigan, the Macomb County Public Works Office already has been on the leading edge of gathering samples from sewers to be sent for laboratory testing. MORE: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Aug. 21, 2020Using federal CARES Act funding received by Macomb County, in May the office launched a pilot project for sewage samples to be pulled from seven locations in Clinton Township. “Our department is an enthusiastic partner with the Macomb County Health Department and hospitals. This is another tool to assist them in getting ahead of where the spread of the coronavirus is at,” said Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. Macomb County announced Wednesday an initiative to test and sample sewage in a new effort to identify and trace COVID-19 hotspots. MORE: Coronavirus in Michigan: Heres where we stand todayThe Macomb County Public Works Office is working with Michigan State and Oakland universities to determine the effectiveness of testing sewage for COVID-19. Workers will collect samples at seven sites in Clinton Township twice per week through the summer. Through this, we hope we can identify if certain neighborhoods or parts of a community where there is a hot spot," said Macomb County Commissioner Candice Miller. Officials say that if the project proves successful, it can be easily expanded to other areas within the county.

FRASER, Mich. - Emergency repairs started Tuesday after two sinkholes opened up in Fraser and Eastpointe. The drain, which services Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores, runs east to west into Lake St. Clair. (Photo: MCPWO)The other sinkhole, a hole with about an eight-foot diameter, is on Kingston Street, a residential street in Fraser south of 14 Mile Road and West of Utica Road. In both places, our partners in the Eastpointe and Fraser departments of public works worked with us to identify these problems. We fix 'em," said Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller.