Interesting to see how plans for the East Trunk Sewer
in Warren Michigan will evolve over the next few years
as the Stephens Detention Basin becomes operation .
My understanding is that the Stephens Basin is for SEWAGE,
and the East Trunk handles stormwater + sewage.
It looks like Warren operates Combined Sewer systems, not seperate.
The City of Warren is unique, with it’s own WWTP.
Will Warren become part of OMID at some point in the future ?
The LEGO Flood House set has been developed and proposed by Blue Heart (@BLUEHEART) and The Environmental Design Studio (@TEDS), as part of the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme.
Residents stranded, Power off, Water entering via the doors & floors, Damage to white goods and the walls, Contaminated carpet, Valuables in flood water, Rescue services deployed, Bins tipped over, Sink surcharging, Photo albums destroyed, TV floating in flood water, Heavy furniture ruined, Timber floor warping, Fast run-off from hardstandings.
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/33147cdb-fb79-40eb-927a-d41022406cb8
Contaminants measured in all populations include
mercury, lead, mirex, hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane,
selected polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
- Biomonitoring programs in Michigan, Minnesota and New York
to assess human exposure to Great Lakes contaminants
~~
In 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched GLRI
The GLRI funded , the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ATSDR
Then the ATSDR initiated Biomonitoring of Great Lakes Populations the (BGLP).
The objective was to assess human exposure to contaminants
From 2010 – 2015 people from Michigan, Minnesota, and New York were tested
~~~
PCB’s, DDT, Dioxin, heavy metals like lead and mercury are well known
These items bioaccumulate and biomagnify,
meaning that the concentration in animal tissues increases
from bottom-dwelling microorganisms up the food web
to increasingly larger animals, like humans .
~~
Let’s be very honest, INDUSTRY comes first and foremost
–after the fact, and a distant second, come the people and the water.
I have little trust in government Protecting People, from contaminants,
pollutants, chemicals, residue, fumes, emissions, by products, etc.
Humans are extremely resilient, adaptable, powerful animals.
We WILL poison ourselves before nuclear war breaks out
Hundreds of these type studies have been done
There is little doubt many of these chemicals float around inside of us.
Why Air Particulates matter.
They get in our lungs, our bodies, and drinking water.
The smaller the particle,
the deeper it gets into our respiratory system
The sensors measure particulates in 3 ranges of size
PM = 1 , PM = 2.5 , and PM = 10
plain raw reading concentrations are
expressed in micrograms per cubic meter air (µg/m3)
Why measure at the 10 micron range,
when we can get data at 2.5 microns, or 1 micron range ?
It has to do with the Concentration of particles,
in the air, at a certain size.
We might have a reading of 155 mg/m3 at PM1
and have 19 mg/m3 at PM10 at the same time
Cities with pollution from car/truck transport
and combustion sources, also have non-combustion sources,
as road dust re-suspension, or actual dirt dust.
This part forms the coarser fraction ( PM2.5 to PM10 ).
If we suddenly stop measuring PM10,
we will be neglecting this source of pollution
The break points for PM1 , PM2.5 and PM10 assist
how the epidemiological data is correlated,
to each of the size ranges.
Some may ask :
Aren’t air particulates smaller than 2.5 microns
included in the readings for 10 microns ?
By definition , sure ,
but it is about Concentrations , remember !
PM2.5 concentration can be smaller than PM10,
but the smaller particles are more harmful to humans
Air quality is all about Particle Size.
Thrown rice may sting, but you’ll choke on flour.
Smaller particles are more dangerous,
hence the Air Quality Index ( AQI )
https://aqicn.org/calculator/
A sensor has raw reading concentrations,
in micrograms per cubic meter air (µg/m3)
Brake dust, tire dust, rust particles, gasoline engine exhaust, diesel engine exhaust, as well as manufacturing facilities doing welding have fumes, places operating ovens burning natural gas, sand blasting dust, incineration activities, etc., etc. There are 1,000’s of kinds of dust all around us, everyday. What gets in your lungs, drops in the drinking water, and acts as a pollutant, can be, a serious concern.
It’s time for MWK’s to hit the public sector and generate some crowd sourced data
A smartphone compatible low-cost water monitoring system
for rapid detection of total coliform and E. coli
People can be able to detect the total coliform and E. coli bacteria in water samples
within 30 min or less, depending on the concentration of the bacteria.
A short video https://www.rsc.org/suppdata/ay/c4/c4ay01245c/c4ay01245c2.mp4
Additional info https://www.rsc.org/suppdata/ay/c4/c4ay01245c/c4ay01245c1.pdf
~~~~~
Alternate method involves a simple plastic bag https://www.aquagenx.com/gel-kits/
Around the world people have issues with safe, clean drinkable water, surface water, stormwater along with fecal contamination and pollution . They need simple, cheap, efficient methods of detection.
NOT everyone has a laboratory, or a controlled safe place to incubate samples
Engage people , teach them, educate them on the issues.
George W Kuhn Outfall
NEW equipment is a cellular camera with a solar panel
aiding in the monitoring of the water at the outfall.
Operators at the GWK Retention Treatment Basin are testing it,
as it allows observation of the outfall 24/7
and is remotely accessible from their cell phone
wherever they might be currently located.
It’s positioned at a downward angle toward the outfall and Red Run
without easy access to avoid tampering.
LIDAR elevation mapping for Macomb
https://gis.macombgov.org/portal1/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3c0411b99a8c48a5a1017271ef0840e2
What elevation are you at – your basement floor 8 ft below
– and then the Red Run and all the associated stormdrains connected to it ?
The BOTTOM of Red Run at Ryan Road is 595 ft above sea level
So if your house is 620 ft – 8 ft below = 612 ft
If Red Run FILLS UP 20 ft, (595 + 20 ) = 615 feet.
THAT creates a problem
It’s pretty easy to figure out the WATER TABLE rises quickly in the StormWater pipes
connected to the Red Run Drain , flows to Freedom Hill, to Clinton River .
The City of Warren knows this issue, problem, conundrum, based on fluid dynamics.
Water will always try to level out, no matter the distance, or how its connected.
Once the RED RUN is really really full, near its banks, the water from the underground StormDrains begins to rise and push back into neighborhoods.
I’ve always respected people that have integrity, honesty, truthfulness, openness, transparency. It’s one of the main reasons I have NOT taken any money, ever, for writing this blog. No leverage, no coercion, no extortion, no editors, no censors, no non-profit 5013c contributions – not a penny from anyone.
We live in an odd time, where being ULTRA-popular is perceived as a great thing. Being successful on the internet is applauded, a commendable act, everyone knows your name, etc. I am not that guy. I am the guy who attempts to deep dive topics, seeking substance, real facts. It’s easy to go for low hanging fruit, click bait, high traffic, fluff , snippets, sound bytes, etc. Thinking involves work, time, contemplation .
Am I human, yeah, absolutely. I have emotions, bias, preferences just as everyone else. Is it possible to have a successful page without selling your soul, sure. Red Run has over 100,000 views to date, via a lot of hard work, persistence, determination, and attempting to be legitimate, grass roots, informative.
This InfraStructure issue of drainage, flooding, elevation, topography, geography, involves societal concerns of finances, politics, egos, empire building, personalities, aspirations, and will. Some in government attempt to cut corners, some shoot for the moon, others try to go P3 (private public partnerships) and everything in-between. Bonds, finance, credit, private equity, and federal assistance all play a role. I don’t play the game of going after anyone based on political affiliation. It’s not my style.
I can NOT possibly be an expert at all these items. I actually do read a massive amount of material attempting to get a glimpse into the huge amount of variables influencing decisions. The items I consider interesting, I write about, because via the act of writing, I actually learn them.
A recent article about Chris Stirewalt, a journalist, caught my attention. The paraphrase goes like this : don’t come at people asking them for anything . Pure journalism , pure empirical truth, shouldn’t involve advocating a point of view, asking people to vote a certain way, or asking individuals to change their mind. In our modern society, discourse/debate is a desirable thing, it causes people to think and evaluate. Am I guilty of Subjective reporting, yes , of course. It’s the act of an individual describing their own subjective experience, following their introspection, a personal interpretation of facts, which are edited or or manipulated in the writers favored point of view. I desire better, cleaner FRESH water, with less combined sewage overflows, contaminants, pollutants, spills, and fouling.
Michigan is a special place. A large amount of FRESH water exists here. It is a unique spot on Earth. Only a few people on the planet have it. I believe it deserves serious protection, as it is not infinite. Corporations and Industrial must be, held accountable, for their actions, with incredibly sharp flesh ripping teeth, tearing out financial pain, bankruptcy, closure of their enterprises. A complete indifference, apathy, lack of empathy to other humans, demands hardcore consequences. The FRESH water must be preserved. People’s health must not be minimalized in the face of $ profit. Humans need water, more than they need any entity, business, corporation. We can live without food for weeks, but we must must have clean, pure water
The 307 idea was the analogue of the Superfund concept
The area near 15 Mile and Schoenherr in Sterling Heights Michigan
Low elevation, near 600 feet, with Lake St Clair at 574 feet .
Flood prone in heavy rain events
There appears to be water in the Sterling Heights area , all year long .
As you know, humans consume a wide variety of items. Some stuff passes through our system, other stuff is converted, broken down, and then gets accumulated in the fatty tissue, or other areas.
The two biggest contributors of microplastics in the environment are car tires and synthetic clothing.
PolyEthylene micro- and nano- particles are beginning to show up in Arterial Plaque.
Chemicals can also piggy-backing on particles, bisphenol A, phthalates, additives.
We live in a unique area, an International boundary, with Detroit and Windsor , upon a lake/river.
A massive amount of vehicles , in both countries, contribute Plastic Particulates into water. Sure, sure it’s the old dilution is the solution , but that was old 50 years ago. NOW its starting to bit us back.
The dust, in the air, in the animals/fish we eat, it’s everywhere, all around us and there is no escape. The car culture overwhelms many, driving to every imaginable place, event, thing. Tire dust may be our downfall, along with really cheap synthetic clothing made of petroleum products.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822
The military industrial connection for Warren, MI is well known. The Detroit Arsenal exists next to the Bear Creek Drain alongside Mound Road by the I-696 interchange. The City of Warren is home to tanks and missiles as indicated by the USTACOM and other sites around Warren. For those seeking more details regarding Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, an indepth file is attached below .
I write the Red Run Blog, to learn, for myself, first and foremost. I, me, myself, attempt to understand items , via the process of writing, constructing , creating an article. Sometimes this involves coffee, music, large amounts of time, and other times it’s rushed (sorry), but it always involves – physically writing.
Perhaps you’ve heard a phrase – “If you can’t explain it to a little kid, you don’t truly know the material well enough , thoroughly enough, to have mastered the existing material” ? It’s one thing to skim over information at very high speed, engulfing massive amounts of ideas, concepts, theories, etc. – but a very, very different thing, to then be asked questions about it, a month or two later.
I physically write, take notes, by hand, via pen, and a tablet of paper – next to the computer. Yes, we learn by reading, but the fine motor movements to produce “script”, cursive, or otherwise, engages our brains toward better learning and memory
Yes, it’s archaic, old fashioned, so yesterday, BUT I’m convinced the traditional way, with paper/pen, stylus/tablet, is the best way, and science backs it up
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945/full
Reports and experiments show that physically writing , causes electrical activity across a wide range of interconnected brain regions responsible for movement, vision, sensory processing and memory. It’s the process , that is the key – NOT automatically typing every word what a lecturer, video, seminar , meeting throws in your ears. Highlighting a sentence in a book , is a meaningless, easy gesture.
Typing without thinking – is not my thing. I like attempting to put puzzle pieces together, old info, new info, field notes, digital pictures, as a creative endeavor – so that I can learn. Hopefully by constructing an article, I help others learn, as well. It’s the active , physical processing part I like , forcing prioritization, consolidation, and relating it to prior learned items.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591203/full
Memory is boosted by producing something tangible. Transferring information into a different form, has been studied by cognitive neuroscience. Tapping a keyboard, is not the same as forming a letter, physically with fingers , pen, on paper. Drawing the info and enacting info, forces focus. I certainly do not hate or despise computers, but they are merely a tool, useless without pre-planning, thought, imagination.
There is a lot to be said about using crayons, coloring, scribbling, doodling, sketching, thinking. Don’t ever dismiss that stuff for Cognitive Offloading – using a quickie pic instead of memorizing, using a gps unit instead of a paper printed map, relying on technology, instead of yourself.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-022-02139-4
Sure I’m an older guy, born in the mid 1960’s . I grew up physically tinkering with stuff, building blocks, building models, taking things apart, and later on drafting/designing/sketching. Computers, video games, virtual reality headsets , are all wonderful inventions, but the physicality of learning keeps us well grounded and humble.
So you thought Warren was – dry – . No lakes, no rivers, no water recreation.
SURPRISE, it’s really, really wet, all over the place.
I’m not one to sugar coat issues, or cheerlead, or be anyone’s YES man. It appears that city planners, inspectors, engineers, developers, builders, contractors, plumbers who built houses in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s played fast and loose with StormWater . This caused distinct problems as time moved forward.
You would think, the easiest way, is to let the rain, fall off the roof, into the gutters and then spread out around the 4 walls of a building, to percolate slowly into the grass, lawn, flower beds, etc.
Somehow, over time, gutters and footing drains , were connected to PIPES, force feeding the rain , into PIPE SYSTEMS, that had to go “somewhere” . Of course , homes still had bathtubs, showers, sinks, laundry tubs, and Toilets that had to flow “somewhere”. The idea of connecting the homeowners basement pipes, under the concrete slab, and the roof gutter water flow, was born. THAT created a massive problem as RAIN mixed with feces, often overwhelming the capacity of the entire piping system.
The City of Warren also has a tremendous of clay in the dirt. It has soooo much, that factories used to build BRICKS out of it, to build structures. Check the history books for factual verification if you like. This layer of clay all throughout Warren, impedes water from trickling down deep into the dirt. As more and more industry, parking lots, shopping centers and neighborhoods were developed, the rain run-off, raised the water table of the entire area. Dirt , saturated with water, is very very heavy heavy, creating Hydro-Static pressure. Keep in mind just 1 gallon of water = 8 pounds. Thousands of gallons, in the dirt, can create tons of force, pushing water into any tiny crevice, crack, fissure, etc.
Even when the individual Toilet pipes are seperate, unique, and away from the Rain StormWater Pipes; issues can occur as the earth shifts (garbage dumps/landfills), the pipe themselves fall apart, etc.
The technical term is Inflow and Infiltration - water from the outside – getting inside a pipe .
The City of Warren knows about the issue of the rain water , from gutters, and footing drains , around the houses, causing flooding issues. They figured it was too expensive, disruptive, and tedious to fix, so instead, The City of Warren , modified its Waste Water Treatment Plant. It also, tried to connect , to the OMID, for some relief. That was also extremely expensive. The City had painted itself into a corner, and was forced to build the Stephens Basin, to provide some relief. — https://www.macombdaily.com/2016/06/20/appeals-court-shoots-down-marrocco-victory-in-drain-lawsuit/
If someone did connect a sump pump in their basement, it throws the water out , further saturating the ground around the house. If the sump pump was attached to a neighborhood pipe system, and several neighbors did the same thing, it quickly overwhelms the old antiquated piping systems, that never were designed for “pumps” .
Now let’s add in – the Red Run Open Channel Storm Drain that Warren relies upon. BUT – I want you think about something else for a second. Remember swimming in a pool, and going down to the bottom of the deep end ? The pressure on your ears from from only being 8 to 10 feet deep ? GREAT, remember that feeling vividly.
Imagine this was your ear, at the bottom of a 30 foot drain ditch.
Water pressure would push on it !
NOW, fill the ditch, all the way to the tippy top, with 30 feet of StormWater
Anything connected to the Red Run, via those outlets at the bottom, has the pressure of ALL the water on top of it, pushing the water into the neighborhoods, streets, and houses, all over Warren.
Water will always attempt to “”level”” out, no matter the inter-connectivity, between it.
It happens often, repeatedly, many times, (plural) – NOT just once in 2014 . It’s recorded , documented , and on file, going back to the 1960’s when the 12TownsDrain force fed the Red Run with stormwater from Oakland County.
The City of Warren gets squeezed between Oakland County stormwater getting force fed in and the Clinton River Watershed rapidly doubling in size at pinch points downstream.
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Will there be fines, charges, tickets, enforcement against the spill ?
Bear Creek in Warren, MI this week in February 2024
Who pays the clean up ? The BUSINESS OWNER or the taxpayers ?
How many animals, and aquatic wildlife, ducks, geese, cranes, had a bad experience ?
The water, sewage, flooding issues goes hand-in-hand with roads, streets, etc.
Let’s come clean on IF the City of Warren has 2 separate systems – for rain – and sewage – or NOT
Citizens need to know, get educated, become informed, on Sump Pumps over-loading sewage (feces) pipes with RAIN water from the sky – aka MIXING – creating combined sewage overflows – essentially – in the City of Warren .
People are getting confused :
https://redrundrain.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/warren-stephens-retention-basin.png
What creates a CSO – does it show up on EGLE reports – as STEPHENS BASIN now ?
https://redrundrain.wordpress.com/2024/01/30/3-separate-sewage-events-warren-mi/
Is it an I & I issue ? – 2024 ??
https://redrundrain.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/warrens-infiltration-and-inflow-issue/
If people attend and ask HARD questions, will they be addressed,
or is it a listen and sit still meeting ?
WHAT is your sump pump connected to — the rain pipe — or your toilet pipe ?
It was a rough weekend for the City of Warren , processing FECES, and then RAIN.
Apparently a lot of RAIN, was sent to the WWTP, along with SEWAGE,
overwhelming the processing capabilities of the equipment .
OVERFLOWS occurred
https://mienviro.michigan.gov/ncore/external/overflow/list
So the first official overflow event , for Red Run , in Warren,MI, is in the books.
Gauges showed 2 inches of rain = 486 Million gallons overflow
   #macomb  #clintonriver  #lakestclair 
SEWAGE spritzed with bleach – not true treatment
The GWK is NOT a WWTP (waste water treatment plant)
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A unique area of the county had some work done.
Hopefully the Herons didn’t mind too much.
Oh snap – you didn’t know the INTERCEPTOR from OMID went thru this area ?
Now you do.
I wish everyone that clicked, viewed, read, shared, downloaded, etc.
all the Best for some Happy Holidays and I sincerely thank you all !!
Looking forward to more improvements, and changes, in years to come.
We all know the strategies from the 1960’s can be made better.
We all know it snows in Michigan and occasionally the Great Lakes even freeze over. It all depends on Mother Nature, the Jet Stream, and a 100 different variables.
The lower water temperatures cause aquatic plants to go dormant. However , the yo yo fluctuation of temperatures can cause growth surges of algae and aquatic weeds.
Bodies of water have thermal retention capabilities, absorbing and retaining heat. A shallow section can easily warm up with a few days of sunshine. Algae definitely takes advantage of the transient warming periods
Algae love it when conditions involve excess nutrients, especially nitrites. When dormant, i.e. winter months, the aquatic plants are not feeding, so the nutrients tend to build up. Add a few really warm days, and you’ll see the growth surges. If there is little snow cover on the ice, the sunlight gets down into the water, and the algae will begin to grow.
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The possibility of a different kind of strategy involving
a flooding Bear Creek scenario and the General Motors Tech Center
in The City of Warren – might play out in the future.
People can scroll the pictures, files , and diagrams presented here :
Go a couple of pages into – the document – to see the proposals
Enlarge the document, print it out, use a large monitor, instead of a small smart phone
Flood Hub offers real-time flood alerts informing local governments .
The free-to-access data is available via Google Maps and Search
In the U.S. and Canada, Flood Hub has announced an expansion of riverine flood forecasts, which includes over 800 river areas inhabited by over 12 million people.
https://sites.research.google/floods/l/42.31873301733613/-83.04818414453216/6
https://sites.research.google/floodforecasting/
This is a pretty slick system that could be useful for metro Detroit Michigan
People live near canals, creeks, streams, rivers, and stormwater channels.
Protecting businesses, property, homes from intense water damage is crucial
https://selfclosingfloodbarrier.com/products
Do you have a water bottle that is specifically yours, your personal water bottle ?
Refill it at the kitchen faucet, take it to work, the gym, on you bike, etc.
OR – do you continually BUY bottled water from the store ?
Why do you buy bottled water , at a much higher price per ounce ?
Ever take a detailed look at The City of Warren report on local Drinking Water ?
A lot of work has been done over by Freedom Hill to develop
walking, hiking, cycling trails along the Red Run drain.
Hopefully The City of Warren can connect a TRAIL along
its banks of the Red Run to the Sterling Heights section .
Many people would enjoy going from 13 Mile & Dequindre
out to Freedom Hill and on to the beach area at Lake St Clair.
Basically the Red Run Drain at Dequindre Road from the
George W Kuhn retention basin in Oakland County
is absolutely – a FEDERAL PROJECT for the USA government
It involves the USA Army Corps of Engineers
For those interested in the affairs of the Inter County Drain Board
concerning the Red Run meeting of October 18, 2023
Red Run 
