Officials in both Canton and Plymouth townships continue their years-long opposition to a new Salem Township Sewer Treatment Plant proposed near their community borders.
In separate meetings last month, a “feasibility study” was approved by members of each of the township boards of trustees to determine if the Salem Township plant could be connected to the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) rather than treat the sewage on site. The study will explore the possibility of a 12.5 mile pressurized pipeline as an alternative to onsite treatment of sewage at the proposed facility to be located near M-14 an Napier Road. The proposed pipeline would be underground in Van Buren Township, along with Canton and Plymouth.
Since the announcement of the planned facility, residents in both Canton and Plymouth have expressed serious concerns regarding odors, flooding and environmental damage, along with the impact on residential values in the area.
The proposed treatment plant is part of a planned Urban Service District in Salem Township. The development would be located in a 1,400-acre area near M-14 and Gotfredson Road and include commercial, industrial and residential development. While some infrastructure for the development is complete, neighboring townships continue to dispute the plan to treat wastewater on the site near their borders.
An attorney for Salem Township, Ed Plato, warned members of the Plymouth Township board that the development was going to proceed. He noted that while Salem “doesn’t want” a wastewater disposal plant, the project would move forward. The plan to connect the Salem plant to the Ypsilanti facility for treatment would require Salem Township to provide and fund all maintenance.
Plymouth Township trustees approved the study by a 5-2 vote with Treasurer Bob Doroshewitz and Clerk Jerry Vorva casting the dissenting votes.
Vorva was vocal in his opposition noting that the plant “can be put someplace else.” He said he believed the Salem offiicals deliberately located the plan near the Plymouth border in an effort “intimidate” Plymouth officials and “force our hands.” Vorva’s suggestion to move the issue to a special meeting with notice to residents for their input did not receive support from the trustees.
Doroshewitz agreed with Vorva and said he had doubts that Salem would treat wastewater in a plant so close to future residential development.
“I’m having a difficult time believing that they would build a wastewater treatment plant and then try to sell 400 homes within a mile of it if this thing was going to be such an animal to manage, to build, and operate,” Doroshewitz said.
Plymouth Township Supervisor Chuck Curmi was strongly in favor of the possible pipeline compromise as an effort to protect residents from the negative impacts of a treatment plant on the western border of the community and urged trustees to approve the study costs.
Canton Township trustees, however, were unanimously in favor of the study noting that the treatment plant could impact the area which suffered severe flooding in 2023 along Fellows and Fowler creeks. Officials noted that the addition of a possible 850,000 gallons of treated wastewater per day from the proposed Salem plant would seriously impact flooding in the community.
“I believe there are over 14,000 households on the Fellows Creek,” said Clerk Michael Siegrist, reminding board members that the August 2023 storm generated millions of dollars in property damage. “That’s 14,000 basements and I just can’t imagine another million gallons of water under a severe storm event going into those 14,000 basements,” he said.
“This is important,” Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak said. “EGLE is basically about to issue the permit for this wastewater treatment facility…they don’t want to do this because it’s a small treatment facility, however, they said they really have no alternative at this point.”
Salem Township previously explored connecting to the Canton-based Western Townships Utility Authority (WTUA), but that plan fell through. A previous agreement with YCUA also failed when Superior Township successfully blocked the sewer route in court.
The feasibility study is expected to take several months and is designed to evaluate the technical and financial viability of the sewer pipeline proposal.
“It is only giving consent to do the feasibility study,” Plymouth Township attorney Kevin Bennett said. “It is not granting consent for the installation of sewer pipelines.”
