CADILLAC — A powerful winter storm that knocked out power across Northern Michigan also triggered a sewage overflow along Lake Mitchell, according to the chair of the Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority, David Kuyers.
Kuyers said the storm left all 205 of the system’s grinder pump stations without electricity. Unlike the authority’s nine larger lift stations, the grinder pumps lack backup generators.
When power was restored, all the grinder pump stations discharged simultaneously, sending a surge of sewage that overwhelmed the downstream lift stations.
“Normally we’re able to control how much of a surge would be coming in, but in this case we were not as able to because of the weather conditions,” Kuyers said.
The authority had technicians in the field throughout the storm working to pump down grinder stations manually before the power returned. But Kuyers said downed trees and power lines forced crews to reroute repeatedly, limiting their ability to get ahead of the surge.
The resulting overflow occurred near East Lake Mitchell Drive. Kuyers estimated about 1,350 gallons of sewage spilled but emphasized that the overflow was entirely liquid with no solid debris and that none of it reached Lake Mitchell.
“It overflowed into an area that will not go into the lake at all,” he said.
Crews have since spread lime over the affected area and placed tape to keep residents away. Kuyers said no residents near the site are expected to be impacted.
Despite being stretched thin, Kuyers praised his team.
“We’ve got a good staff there, very, very strong,” he said. “They know that we’ll run into these kinds of situations.”
In neighboring Missaukee County, emergency managers reported a similar incident in Lake Township, where power outages also knocked out lift stations. However, an emergency response from Consumers Energy crews restored power before any sewage was spilled into the lake.
Kuyers said the authority will now review its overflow response plan with engineers and operational staff to determine whether any changes are needed for future storms.
“We have had the system reviewed in depth by our engineers,” Kuyers said. “And it has been designed in a way that we shouldn’t run into this, and really, we’re disappointed we did, but unfortunately, a very adverse situation for us.”