EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Michigan
45 formal actions at 31 of 304 plants · $1M in penalties · 32 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 45 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Michigan, 3 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 31 of the state's 304 plants, with $1 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (9 cases). EPA has inspected 28 plants in the state, 32 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Michigan
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo Water Reclamation Plant Kalamazoo | Aug 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2025-0321 |
| Mt Pleasant WWTP Mount Pleasant | Jul 2023 · FY2019 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2019-0331 |
| EPA's description: “Final AOC regarding CWA Related effluent violations” | ||||||
| Isabella Reservation WWTP Mount Pleasant | Jun 2021 · FY2020 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2020-0306 |
| EPA's description: “AOC sets out measures to correct the alleged violations and bring the facility into compliance.” | ||||||
| Sault Ste. Marie Wastewater Treatment Plant Sault Sainte Marie | Apr 2020 · FY2020 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $11,200 | ECHO 05-2020-7550 |
| Tecumseh WWTP Tecumseh | May 2018 · FY2018 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2018-0302 |
| EPA's description: “final and effective Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) designed to bring the City of Tecumseh Wastewater Treatment Plant into compliance with the Clean Water Act.” | ||||||
| Sault Ste. Marie Wastewater Treatment Plant Sault Sainte Marie | Jan 2018 · FY2003 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 05-2003-0389 |
| EPA's description: “Exceeded permit effluent limits” | ||||||
| Saginaw Twp WWTP Saginaw | Aug 2012 · FY2012 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $8,500 | ECHO 05-2012-7164 |
| EPA's description: “This enforcement action was filed in response to violations to CAA 112(r)(7) which were discovered during a Risk Management Plan (RMP) compliance inspection conducted on 7/15/2009. A total of 13…” | ||||||
| Grand Haven/spring Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant Grand Haven | Dec 2011 · FY2012 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $5,338 | ECHO 05-2012-7105 |
| EPA's description: “This enforcement action has been filed in response to violations discovered during a CAA 112(r)(7) (Risk Management Plan) inspection which was conducted on 07/08/2008. Violations included: 1.)…” | ||||||
| GLWA Water Resource Recovery Facility Detroit | Dec 2011 · FY2012 | Administrative order | General Duty/Accidental Release | Final Order Issued | — | ECHO 05-2012-5012 |
| EPA's description: “On December 9, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an agreed Clean Air Act Section 303 Order to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) alleging that a pollution source is…” | ||||||
| City Of Saginaw Wastewater Treatment Plant Saginaw | Oct 2010 · FY2011 | Administrative order | Prevention of Accidental Release/Risk Management Plans (RMPs) | Final Order With Penalty | $2,100 | ECHO 05-2011-7018 |
| EPA's description: “This enforcement action was filed for violations to CAA 112(r)(7)(Risk Management Plan) which were discovered during an inspection which was conducted on 7/14/2009.” | ||||||
Full case histories, milestones, violation types and EPA's complete case summaries for every plant are shown with a free Klarifi account. Create one →
Largest penalties in Michigan
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyandotte Wastewater Plant Wyandotte | May 1994 · FY1986 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $413,000 | — | ECHO 05-1986-0288 |
| 2 | Menominee WWTP Menominee | Jan 1996 · FY1987 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $340,000 | — | ECHO 05-1987-0424 |
| 3 | Holland WWTP Holland | Feb 2001 · FY2000 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $94,600 | — | ECHO 05-2000-0479 |
| 4 | Milford WWTP Milford | Mar 1992 · FY1988 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $70,000 | — | ECHO 05-1988-0210 |
| 5 | Wixom WWTP Wixom | Jul 1993 · FY1986 | Judicial case | Litigated With Penalty | $21,000 | — | ECHO 05-1986-0287 |
| 6 | Milford WWTP Milford | Jul 1989 · FY1984 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $15,000 | — | ECHO 05-1984-0009 |
| 7 | Lowell WWTP Lowell | Aug 1990 · FY1985 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $13,000 | — | ECHO 05-1985-0467 |
| 8 | Sault Ste. Marie Wastewater Treatment Plant Sault Sainte Marie | Apr 2020 · FY2020 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $11,200 | — | ECHO 05-2020-7550 |
| 9 | City Of Mount Clemens Wastewater Treatment Plant Mount Clemens | Oct 1993 · FY1993 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $10,000 | — | ECHO 05-1993-1561 |
| 10 | Warren Waste Water Treatment Plant Warren | Jun 2007 · FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $8,766 | — | ECHO 05-2005-0021 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 0 | — |
| FY2018 | 1 | — |
| FY2019 | 1 | — |
| FY2020 | 2 | $11,200 |
| FY2021 | 0 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 0 | — |
| FY2024 | 0 | — |
| FY2025 | 1 | — |
| FY2026 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Michigan: questions
Sources and methodology
Flow, permit and violation figures come from the EPA's ICIS-NPDES discharge monitoring records. Population served comes from the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2022. Treatment structures are identified by Klarifi's review of aerial imagery, and capital improvement projects are extracted from published municipal budget documents. Violations are counted over the last three years of monitoring reports.
Data refreshed September 17, 2026.
Enforcement data: EPA ICIS-FE&C civil enforcement cases and ICIS compliance inspections, via ECHO. Penalties are the amounts assessed or agreed in each case as EPA records them. Latest case status in this data: Aug 2025.