DETROIT (WXYZ) — Excavators are running full tilt in a part of Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers community—that's where the Great Lakes Water Authority is working on a new pump station.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
It's meant to help collect sanitary flow from existing sewers built more than a century ago, but residents have concerns about the project and its impact on their neighborhood
“Why would you put it in the middle of our homes instead of putting it somewhere else in another industrial area?” is a question Vanessa Cartwright asks every time she sees or hears the construction at GLWA’s proposed pump station site.
The project is meant to improve the reliability of the existing Freud storm pump station, critical infrastructure serving Jefferson-Chalmers and the east side of GLWA’s service area.
People living here are concerned about the heavy industrial use project happening in a residential area.
“We can't even open our windows or doors because of all this dust and stuff,” Cartwright said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Vanessa Cartwright speaks about the new Freud Sanitary Pump Station project
Nicole Stone bemoans the traffic shake-up caused by “Traffic can only go down Tennessee, up Essex, and then you can come up Algonquin or any other street.”
Residents fear the proposed pump station will lower home values and stifle the potential of much-needed economic development.
“I don't think anyone in Jefferson Chalmers believes they would do the same thing in their own communities,” Toinu Reeves said.
Reeves believes GLWA is unintentionally sending Jefferson-Chalmers a bad message
“You've made a statement, an existential statement that you don't have an economic future. This is a wasteland. We're going to build a utility plant here because this is cheap property we can build up,” Reeves said.
GLWA says it evaluated several alternative locations, and this site was the only technically and financially viable option, and it's only about 400 feet away from the existing Freud pump station.
Flooding has been an issue in Jefferson-Chalmers since the 50s, but the neighborhood was hit exceptionally hard back in 2021.
GLWA said in a statement that it understands and acknowledges the concerns raised by residents about the pump station's impact on the neighborhood, but the project will ultimately increase flood protection for the broader Jefferson-Chalmers area.
“There are some minor residual benefits to our community, but not anywhere near comparison to the 29 other neighborhoods that are benefitting from this and yet we're being asked to burden the responsibility of the challenge that the metropolitan system has,” Jay Juergensen, lead organizer and technical expert for the Jefferson-Chalmers Water Project, said.
Juergensen, a Jefferson-Chalmers resident, says he supports GLWA’s efforts to invest in its regional system, but not at the cost of what he calls “environmental justice” in his neighborhood.
“Our neighborhood is 1/30th of the service area of this project. This project services people as far away as Roseville and St Clair Shores. So, the problem is upstream,” Juergensen.
WEB EXTRA: Jay Jurgensen speaks about the new Freud Sanitary Pump Station project
We reached out to the City of Detroit for comment on the proposed site. A spokesperson said in a statement that GLWA followed the proper steps for planning and permitting for the project.
GLWA says it's still working through the city's approval processes, and it's talking with residents about their concerns with the project. GLWA has held several community engagement meetings at Eastlake Baptist Church. The most recent meeting was Wednesday, May 21. The next meeting is September 17th at 5:30 pm.
GLWA Statement:
The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is proposing a new Freud Sanitary Pump Station to improve the reliability of the existing Freud Storm Pump Station, which is a critical infrastructure that serves the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood, as well as the east side of GLWA’s service area. After evaluating several alternatives, the chosen site was the only technically and financially viable option to collect the sanitary flow from the existing sewers that were constructed over 100 years ago.
We understand and acknowledge the concerns raised by residents about the proposed new pump station’s impact on a residential neighborhood. The localized benefit of the project includes increased flood protection for the broader Jefferson-Chalmers area. The proposed pump station is approximately 400 ft east of the existing Freud Storm Pump Station, which has been in service for more than 70 years.
GLWA has conducted ongoing community engagement since 2023, including public meetings, mailings and a dedicated hotline and website. Outreach to local residents has included advance notice of construction activities, as well as notifications of road closures and traffic shifts which have all been done in compliance and coordination with the city of Detroit. GLWA acted in accordance with all city of Detroit requirements and processes and in no way acted with blatant disregard. At this time, GLWA is still working through the City’s approval processes.
We remain open to continued conversations and are committed to transparency, responsiveness and engagement as we move forward with this essential project.
City of Detroit Statement:
City of Detroit Department of Public Works issued the Great Lakes Water Authority a permit to perform work in the right of way. Buildings, Safety Engineering & Environmental (BSEED) issued a permit for the structure. GLWA is leading this regional sewer system project. They were advised of the proper planning and permitting steps and have since taken those actions, as well as their team has hosted several meetings with the community since late fall. Any specifics of the project and its benefit is a question for the facility operator, GLWA.
