Title
The Board of Water Commissioner for the City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department approves the Cost Reimbursement Agreement with the City of Harper Woods and authorizes the Director to take such other action as may be necessary to effectuate the agreement.
Body
Agenda of December 17, 2025
Item No. 2025-308
TO: The Honorable
Board of Water Commissioners
City of Detroit, Michigan
FROM: Gary Brown, Director
Water and Sewerage Department
RE: Approval of Cost Reimbursement Agreement with the City of Harper Woods
MOTION
Upon recommendation of Scott MacGriff, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, the Board of Water Commissioners for the City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department hereby APPROVES the Cost Reimbursement Agreement with the City of Harper Woods for the reimbursement of Bluehill Pumping Station costs attributable to Harper Woods’ sanitary flows, including annual cost recovery based on GLWA billings and specified reimbursements for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024, and authorizes the Director to take such other action as may be necessary to effectuate the agreement.
BACKGROUND / JUSTIFICATION
The Bluehill Pumping Station conveys sanitary flow from portions of Harper Woods into the GLWA regional sewer system, and under the Regional Sewage Disposal System Lease, DWSD is responsible for all GLWA charges associated with the facility. A 2022 DWSD tributary study determined that Harper Woods contributes approximately 3.8 percent of Bluehill Pumping Station’s dry-weather sanitary flow, yet DWSD has historically borne the full cost of Bluehill operations, including the portion attributable to Harper Woods.
The Cost Reimbursement Agreement establishes a formal and equitable cost-sharing framework under which Harper Woods will reimburse DWSD annually based on actual GLWA invoices and will make additional payments for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. The Agreement provides a structured reassessment of the allocation percentage every five years and ensures Detroit ratepayers are no longer subsidizing suburban sanitary flow through Bluehill. The Harper Woods City Council approved the Agreement on December 2, 2025.