Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI 11) discussed ways to address water contamination with state and local officials during a roundtable in Pontiac on Friday.
Stevens is sponsoring a bill that would fund wastewater projects to address issues like PFAS contamination. PFAS is a set of toxic compounds known as "forever chemicals" used in industrial processes and found in some common consumer goods like certain nonstick pans.
She said the federal government needs to also get behind efforts to take microplastics out of drinking water and recycle waste that ends up in water.
“There are innovators and technologists here in Michigan that have done this. It’s just they have not had the resources at the state and local level, particularly at the local level to procure or administer,” Stevens said while taking reporter questions.
Many of the participants agreed federal funding would be key to improving some of the biggest problems facing the state’s water infrastructure.
Navid Mehram handles wastewater operations for the Great Lakes Water Authority, which provides water services to millions of people in southeast Michigan. He said utilities are being asked to address new types of water pollution.
“We have to level up, as a utility, to do with these research innovation strategies to get ahead of these emergent contaminants because when they come to the forefront for our utilities and being manage, we won’t have the funding sources to be able to deal with that issue,” Mehram said.
The Great Lakes Water Authority has already taken some steps to beef up its own technology, like creating a new facility to turn biosolids — a nutrient-rich byproduct of treated sewage — into fertilizer. But officials say that was a financially risky endeavor and that the federal government should do more to lessen the hazard.
At the state level, environmental officials say industrial sources of PFAS are creating a problem for utilities to manage.
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Director Phil Roos said another goal is finding out how to get PFAS chemicals to break down. That’s a likely resource-intensive project the federal government had been supporting.
The Trump administration canceled funding for some of that research last year.
“I think that’s a bit of a set back so it probably is incumbent upon the states and the universities and areas of higher learning to partner and try to some answers on our own,” Roos said.
Ultimately, Stevens and some of the other participants agreed there should be policies to have polluters pay for the cost of cleanup.
State data has found PFAS in hundreds of sites across Michigan.
“We’ve got fish that can’t be eaten that are caught in our fresh water because of this level of pollution that has gone on, and who’s responsible to clean it up? It just can’t continue to come down on the average Michigander. We’ve already paid enough,” Stevens said.
The water issue is one of several Stevens has been highlighting as she campaigns for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.
She turned in signatures to get on the ballot Friday, becoming the first major candidate in the race to do so.
Her opponents in the Democratic Senate primary include state Senator Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed. Both plan to turn their nominating signatures in next week.
