Goal: Ensure safe water for drinking, recreation, other uses, and other species
Our waters will be cleaner when more stormwater is slowed to percolate through the ground into aquifers rather than rushing through storm drains into the river with fertilizer and other pollutants. Use phosphorus-free fertilizer, pick up after your pets, and take a canoe trip down the river to remember how nice it is to have clean water.
Clean Water Indicators
State of Our Environment 2007
Ann Arbor drinking water continues to exceed state and federal standards and the Huron River is considered one of the cleanest "urban" rivers in Michigan. However, the surface and groundwater in and around the city faces many challenges and the need to protect our sourcewaters remains high. Some of the key challenges include:
- Many stretches of the River in Ann Arbor are impaired and are listed on the State 303(d) list. There are fish advisories for several sections of the Huron River.
- There is increasing research on personal care products and the pharmaceuticals that end up in the River from upstream sources.
- The city chose to discontinue use of one of our groundwater wells in 2002 because of 1,4 Dioxane groundwater contamination.
- Development in surrounding townships - outside of existing sewer and water areas - have lead to increasing requests to MDEQ for permits for package wastewater treatment plants.
- Climate change is likely to change the frequency and duration of rain events with uncertain effects on our surface and groundwater sources.
The City of Ann Arbor is undertaking actions to reduce the total amount of polluted stormwater runoff reaching the river. In 2007, the City banned the use of lawn fertilizers with phosphorus, unless soil samples show that phosphorus is needed on a property. This will reduce the total amount of nutrients reaching the river, helping to control growth of aquatic weeds. Also this year, the City initiated a tiered stormwater rates system, so that property owners with greater impervious surface pay more to maintain the stormwater system.
Background
Ann Arbor’s drinking water comes from a combination of sources. Eighty-five percent is drawn from the Huron River in Barton Pond. The remainder comes from groundwater wells located on the south side of town. All of the source water is treated, filtered and disinfected with state-of-the-art techniques at the Water Treatment Plant. Ann Arbor's Water Treatment Plant (WTP) for drinking water was built in 1938 and has been upgraded continually to keep up with regulations, increase reliability and to improve water quality. In 1996 ozone treatment was added for disinfection and taste and odor control. Ozone is a powerful disinfectant which creates fewer disinfection by-products than chlorine. The city has won the American Water Works Association’s Regional “Water Taste Off” competition six times.
The Huron River is the central natural feature of the City. More than ten miles of this river are located within the City limits, traversing the City from northwest to southeast. In addition to serving as the City's main source of drinking water, the Huron provides habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, and provides a varierty of opportunities for recreation. The following creeks are tributaries of the Huron River within the City of Ann Arbor: Allen's Creek, Fleming Creek, Honey Creek, Mallet's Creek, Miller's Creek, Swift Run Creek, Traver Creek. To ensure the long-term health of the Huron, the City of Ann Arbor has been an active community partner in the Middle Huron Initiative, a project coordinated by the Huron River Watershed Council, with 21 communities and agencies.
The Wastewater Treatment Service Unit is responsible for the effective collection, treatment and environmentally acceptable discharge of the wastewater generated by the Ann Arbor community as well as portions of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield, and Scio townships. The Wastewater Treatment Service Unit also operates and maintains the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant and eight sewage lift stations located around the city. Personal are in attendance at all times as the plant runs on a continuous 24 hours a day, 7 days a week schedule. Sanitary sewer mains carry water from homes and businesses to the wastewater plant, where the sewage is treated in 3 stages. First, the sewage is put through a screen and a grit chamber, where large objects are removed. From there, the sewage flows to a settling basin, where solids sink to the bottom and are separated out. These solids, called biosolids, are further treated and used as a fertilizer or disposed of in a landfill. The remaining wastewater is then further settled with the aid of helpful microorganisms. Next the water is sent through filters to remove nutrients such as phosphorous, and disinfected with ultraviolet light. Finally, it is discharged into the Huron River. Tests are performed for various contaminants like phosphorous and ammonia to determine how much is being removed in the treatment process.
What the City of Ann Arbor is Doing
Phosphorus-free Fertilizer Ordinance: The City this ordinance to reduce the amount of phosphorus used in manufactured lawn fertilizers, effective January 2007. By limiting the unncessary application of phosphorus to lawns, the City can reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the Huron River by a significant 22 percent.
Huron River and Impoundment Management Committee: The HRIMP committee is meeting to create management recommendations for the Huron River, including strategies for maintaining the ecological balance and providing sustainable recreation opportunities.
Source Water Protection Plan: The City has completed a source water protection assessment for both the surface water and groundwater drinking water sources. Results were based on the geologic formations, water chemistry, and number and type of potential contaminant courses located within the source water protection area. The City will develop and implement a source water protection plan based on the results of the source water assessment.
Huron River aquatic vegetation study: This study presents a preliminary review of aquatic plant management alternatives for Barton, Argo, Geddes, and South Ponds, all of which are impoundments of the Huron River.
Water Treatment Facilities and Water Resources Master Plan: The city completed a Master Plan for the WTP in 2005. The master Plan assessed the status of the source water and the treatment system and identified areas for improvement. The City has prioritized this list and has already started work on some of these improvements.
Water Distribution System Master Plan: The city plans to update the water distribution system master plan in the upcoming year. The plan will evaluate the water quality, pressures and flows throughout the city and provide recommendations for long-term asset management.
Flood Mitigation Plan: In 2007, the City adopted a Flood Mitigation Plan to help reduce flood losses, minimize damage to public and private property. and protect public health and safety in the event of a flood.
Footing Drain Disconnect Program: In 2007, the 1,000th Ann Arbor home received assistance from the city to disconnect the building’s footing drains from the municipal sanitary sewer system. City Council launched the Footing Drain Disconnect (FDD) program in fall 2001 to respond to local problems with basements flooding during heavy rain storms.
Stormwater GIS and Hydraulic Modeling: This project will construct an accurate and complete inventory of the city's stormwater system for improved efficiency for operations and maintenance and to create the data structure for integrating a stormwater model with GIS and an infrastructure maintenance management system. When complete, the stormwater model will be used to identify storm system quantity and quality issues.
Stormwater Rates Restructuring: In 2007, the City instituted a new rate system to charge customers based on impervious area, which was determined to be the best indicator of stormwater runoff. This method is a more equitable way to change and collect for stormwater system maintanance and upgrades.
Emerging Issues on the Huron River: The City has completed intial research on the occurrence of emerging contaminants, such as endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the Huron River, the City's drinking water and the City's wastewater.
Facilities Renovations Project: A Facilities Master Plan, completed in 2004 identified the need for improvements to the City of Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to upgrade, rehabilitate and/or replace aging facilities. This project will develop detailed designs for improvements to the existing East Plant as well as demolition and reconstruction of the West Plant.
Allen's Creek Stormwater Initiative
What you can do
- Call us immediately if you turn on the faucet but nothing comes out. This will help us to quickly assess the nature and extent of the problem and take corrective action.
- Turn off the tap. The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month! For more tips on conservation, visit the EPA's water efficiency Web site.
- Dispose of products safely. Don’t pour household toxics such as oil, paint and pesticides down the drain. These chemicals could harm the microorganisms that are used to treat the water.
- Use phosphate-free laundry detergent. This reduces the amount of phosphorous that must be removed at the waste water treatment plant. Most liquid detergents are phosphate free; just check the label.
- Do not flush unused medications. Over the counter and prescription medicines have been found in rivers. Disposing of unused medication in the trash will reduce the levels entering the wastewater plant and being discharged into the river.