Oakwood Relief Sewer Tunnel Project

GLWA is committed to improving the overall resiliency of the regional system. This project is focused on reducing the potential for upstream flooding, as well as decreasing the release of combined sewage (CSO) from the regional system’s Northwest Interceptor Sewer (NWI). The NWI Sewer capacity downstream of Warren Ave. is often exceeded during wet weather events resulting in flooding and discharges to the Rouge River.

By building the new Oakwood Tunnel, GLWA will be able to provide relief to the NWI service area, including Allen Park, Dearborn, Western Detroit, Melvindale, and the Rouge Valley Sewage Disposal System, by diverting wet-weather flow to the under-utilized Oakwood CSO Control Facility Retention Treatment Basin (Oakwood Facility). This new relief sewer will help reduce the frequency and the volume of untreated Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) discharges into the Rouge River, and provide additional wet weather sewage flow capacity for upstream GLWA member communities (see service are above).