Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Program

Above Ground CSO Storage Tank Rendering & Location at Public Works

CSO Storage Early Action Project - November 17, 2024 Update

Broad Street will be closed near Public Works entrance on November 19, 2024 to complete underground utility work through the intersection. The closure is expected to last one day.

CSO Compliance Program

The City of St. Joseph is nearing the completion of a decades long combined sewer overflow (CSO) compliance program required by the Federal Clean Water Act. The CSO compliance program schedule is dictated by a CSO National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit which is regulated and enforced by the Michigan Department of Great Lakes, Environment and Energy (EGLE). Over the life of the program, the City has requested and received multiple extensions on the construction of the storage tank in order to complete CSO separation and inflow & infiltration removal projects. A link to the City's current CSO NPDES permit is available under the Supplemental Documents section below.

A public meeting was held on June 28, 2023 in City Commission Chambers to discuss the location of a future Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Storage Tank. The recommended alternative of an above ground storage tank, located next to the Public Works facility at 1160 Broad Street was presented at that meeting. The City Commission approved the above ground storage tank recommendation during the November 13, 2023 regular meeting.

A video of the June 2023 public meeting is available for viewing here: https://youtu.be/XPp-WVlR3sQ

A link to the Power Point for the meeting, and other pertinent information on the CSO program is provided below.

The CSO Storage Early Action Project commenced on November 4 and is expected to be underway through the winter/early spring of 2025. This project will lay the groundwork for the CSO Storage tank located next to the Public Works facility in the northwesterly corner of the property. Construction of the storage tank is expected to begin in 2027, and is intended to be the final project in the CSO compliance program.