EPA at Work in Detroit and Downriver Communities in MI - Water

 Great Lakes

• The Detroit River Area of Concern is one of five binational AOCs shared between the United States and Canada. It drains an area of land in Michigan and Ontario that is approximately 700 square miles.
• • Detroit Riverwalk Legacy Act Project
  • Belle Isle Flatwoods Forest Project 
  • Sugar Island Habitat Restoration 
  • Upper Riverfront Parks
• The Rouge River Area of Concern drains 466 square miles into the Detroit River and encompasses 48 communities. The Rouge River watershed contains the oldest and most heavily populated and industrialized area in southeast Michigan.
• • Colonial Park and Venoy Dorsey Park Habitat Restoration Projects>
  • Lower Rouge Park, Riverview Park, Sherwood Park, Bell Creek Park and Lola Valley Park Habitat Restoration
  • EPA awarded a $1.8 million a GLRI grant of to the Alliance of Rouge Communities in the Rouge River AOC for habitat restoration projects at Colonial Park and Venoy Dorsey Park along the Lower Rouge River. 

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  The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative accelerates efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Use this interactive map of GLRI projects to view all of the projects in the Detroit area. 

Infrastructure

In March 2021, EPA announced an $18 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority in Wayne County, Michigan, to support critical upgrades for the second largest wastewater system in the state.

Lead in Drinking Water Roundtable

EPA hosted a community roundtable with organizers representing Flint and Detroit, Michigan to highlight the experience of these two cities with lead in drinking water. This roundtable discussion is essential to informing EPA’s review of the Lead and Copper Rule revisions to ensure that the rule is grounded in the lived experience of individuals and communities that are most at-risk of exposure to lead in drinking water. Watch the public listening session here.