Resiliency

At GLWA, resiliency equals toughness. Toughness is how well the organization is prepared to prevent disruptions in the system and then recover from them as quickly as possible to minimize negative impacts on the people the Authority serves.

Protecting
Our Water

GLWA operationalizes resiliency by developing operational contingency plans and emergency response plans, using a unified command structure, partnering with critical vendors, ensuring access to essential materials and supplies, coordinating regionally, and intentionally integrating lessons learned from each event and disruption.

These resiliency efforts are essential to protecting public health and the environment, while ensuring service to Member Partner communities throughout southeast Michigan.

14
Projects in progress improving system infrastructure.
7
Recommendations have been completed in under 2 years.
3
Projects completed improving regional flood management.

A Study in climate resiliency

In 2023, GLWA received programmatic authorization under the Water Resources Development Act for a Southeast Michigan Climate Resiliency Mitigation Study to be conducted in partnership with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps). The study will evaluate the following to help inform how best to address the long-term effects of climate change.

  • Implementation of Wastewater Storage
  • Use of Pumping Stations
  • Strategic Sewer Separation
  • Engage Federal Agencies

STEWARDING OUR WATER

Water connects every home, neighborhood, and community we serve. Stewarding it means understanding the complex systems that protect it—and making that knowledge accessible to everyone. By learning how our water works, we strengthen trust, transparency, and shared responsibility. Together, we care for what sustains us today and safeguard it for generations to come.

LINEAR SYSTEM INTEGRITY PROGRAM (LSIP)

 GLWA’s LSIP is designed to proactively assess water transmission mains and wastewater interceptors and renew deteriorated pipelines to reduce the impacts of failures, improve service levels and increase reliability of GLWA’s linear assets.

The Crisis Beneath Us

One of the oldest water systems in the country, GLWA’s infrastructure contains pipelines that are more than 100 years old. And with over 800 miles of water transmission main in the system, with an average age of 70 years old, the increase in pipe failures across our service region is unavoidable.
It is essential to our region, and the people we serve, that we explore funding opportunities to improve our water infrastructure for generations to come. And although this crisis is happening beneath our feet, we cannot continue to ignore the inevitable. It is our obligation to bring the pipes, and their true cost, both fiscal and human, to the surface.

Read the Crisis Beneath Us.

01/06
Sue Coffey Sue Coffey

“At GLWA, resiliency equals toughness. We’re working to build a culture of resiliency that demonstrates the strength of our team, our system, and our region to protect public health and support communities today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.”

Sue Coffey

CEO