Oakland County's sewage discharges into Red Run Drain prompt EGLE investigation and calls for regional solutions. Photo of Red Run Drain courtesy Macomb County.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) plans to fine and penalize Oakland County for repeated discharges of raw sewage into the Red Run Drain, a waterway that flows through Macomb County into Lake St. Clair.

In a June 27 enforcement notice, EGLE cited the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office for violations of Michigan’s water protection laws, following overflows totaling more than 3 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage in August 2023 and April 2025. The discharges came from the George W. Kuhn Retention Treatment Basin, which serves 14 southeast Oakland County communities.

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller applauded EGLE’s move, saying Oakland County has failed to stop “the serious problem of dumping on a neighboring county.”

But Oakland County officials pushed back Monday, accusing Miller of politicizing the issue and misrepresenting the facts. In a statement, Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash said Oakland County “cannot be expected to control severe weather events that occur across Southeast Michigan” and called for a regional solution to address the root causes of sanitary sewer overflows.

“Oakland County has repeatedly told EGLE that a regional approach is necessary,” Nash’s office said in a statement, adding that the Dequindre Interceptor is functioning as designed but is overwhelmed during increasingly frequent and intense storms. Nash also said that EGLE’s enforcement action is part of a standard regulatory process, similar to actions taken against other counties, including Macomb.

The statement criticized Miller for allegedly turning away from a joint effort—co-signed by both commissioners in December 2023—to seek a regional solution through the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA).

“While it may now be politically convenient to Commissioner Miller’s inflammatory approach,” the release stated, “the fact remains” that she once endorsed the same collaborative solution.

EGLE is currently pursuing an Administrative Consent Order that would require corrective actions, penalties, and potentially further legal consequences. Oakland County has requested a meeting with EGLE, which must take place before the order can proceed.

State lawmakers from both counties have urged stricter oversight of the facility as the state continues to review its expired pollution discharge permit.

learn more

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak is an award-winning Metro Detroit-based editor, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. She is the founder, publisher, and editor of Planet Detroit, a digital media startup focused on producing quality climate, health, and environment journalism that holds power accountable, and spotlights solutions. Planet Detroit has received awards and recognition from the Society for Professional Journalists Detroit, the Institute for Nonprofit News, and LION Publishers since its establishment in 2019. Prior to her journalism career, Nina worked in urban planning in local government and nonprofit sectors, holding a Master of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.