Macomb County announces pump station upgrades in St. Clair Shores
The project hopes to reduce overflow into Lake St. Clair and lessening the odds of local basement flooding.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller (far left) poses with others next to a rendering of a renovated pump station in St. Clair Shores, Mich. on Aug. 9, 2023.
The Chapaton Pump Station and Retention Treatment Basin at 9 Mile Rd and Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores is getting a $43 million renovation.
A large portion of the money is going towards adding 13 million gallons of capacity to a drainage canal that dumps into Lake St. Clair. Officials say that will help reduce sewer overflows by about 38%.
Also on tap for the site is upgrading the entire electrical system and purchasing new generators. Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller says the improvements are being done with an eye towards quality of life.
“Because what happens when you have a heavy rain event in a storm,” asks Miller. “The power goes out.”
Miller says the electrical improvements will help reduce the chances of local basements flooding during major storms. She says the combined effects of the project will also result in better water quality for Lake St. Clair — which generates about $2 billion in economic impact.
“And the opportunity there is great to really increase that,” says Miller. “You have people coming from all over the country, literally to fish here. We have some of the best small mouth bass fishing in the world.”
Miller says the projects will be fully funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and will take about two years to complete.
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