The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Officials fight against permits
MDEQ to hold public hearings on wastewater discharge plans
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 22, 2007
Two area townships could face the prospect of new and large residential communities if the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality grants developers the necessary permits to construct private wastewater treatment plants along the Saline River.
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Township officials are marshalling support to protest granting the permits.
In Saline Township, the permit request from Troy developer Biltmore Holdings, under the name Saline Investors LLC, is the latest battlefront in a two-year war over a development that calls for an eventual build-out over the next eight to 15 years of 3,260 homes on 1,060 acres.
The Saline Township Board last year voted down Biltmore's controversial re-zoning request. The developer sued and in August township residents approved a millage to raise money to help fight the suit.
A Rochester Hills developer is seeking a wastewater treatment plant permit to build Frederick Farms, a much smaller development of up to 660 homes, in Lodi Township.
Township officials are encouraging residents to attend public hearings and write objections to the DEQ. Lodi Township Supervisor Jan Godek has also sought support from other township leaders and organizations.
"The townships are pretty much in agreement that these private wastewater treatment plants are not good ideas," Godek said. "Once you let one of them in, you're going to be hard-pressed not to let any others in. Once you cross a certain line, wastewater treatment plants can spring up all over the place."
The Pittsfield Township Board adopted a resolution Feb. 13 opposing the wastewater discharge permit for Fairview Land Development LLC, the company wanting to build in Lodi.
The Saline Sustainability Council, a group made up of representatives from Lodi, Pittsfield, Saline and York townships, as well as the city of Saline, adopted a resolution Tuesday night objecting to the Lodi permit and is considering adopting a similar resolution opposing the permit sought in Saline Township.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners is reviewing a draft proposal for countywide regulations on private wastewater treatment plants.
In their permit requests to the DEQ, the developers argue that public utilities are not available in the areas and that the wastewater treatment plants are vital to the viability of their projects. Denying the permits, they argue, would block economic development such as job growth, increased retail spending and higher student enrollment rates.
The proposed wastewater treatment plant in Lodi Township would discharge about 200,000 gallons a day, according to the permit. The plant in Saline Township is projected to discharge up to 1.4 million gallons a day. Both plants would discharge into the Raisin River Watershed.
Developers can request a wastewater discharge permit from the DEQ before approaching townships about any needed rezoning. The 112 acres on Wagner Road in Lodi Township, for example, is currently zoned agricultural and the developer is expected to seek re-zoning for residential. The DEQ does not consider zoning in deciding whether to grant a wastewater discharge permit.
Godek described the permit process as "skewed" and "backward." Building private wastewater treatment plants is increasingly becoming a common tactic by developers, she said.
Aside from the development of agricultural land that they say deviates from their master development plans, townships also are concerned about the oversight of private wastewater treatment plants once the developer leaves. Typically, the plants are turned over to a homeowners' association for management.
"What happens if the homeowners' association disbands?" asked Godek. "Who's going to take care of the plant? There are a lot of issues looming out there for townships."
A DEQ public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Saline Township Hall to hear comment on the wastewater discharge permit request from Saline Investors.
A public hearing on the wastewater discharge permit for Lodi Township will be held 7 p.m. March 28 at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
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