City of Grand Rapids Environmental Services Department

City of Grand Rapids Environmental Services Department To provide water resource recovery, stormwater, electric, lighting and communications services in a

The City of Grand Rapids Environmental Services Department oversees stormwater management, sewer maintenance, and wastewater treatment. Environmental Services staff are responsible for:

• Market Avenue Retention Basin with storage capacity of 30 million gallons of water and treatment capacity of 1.1 billion gallons a day
• Primary Effluent Retention Basin with storage capacity of 10 million g

allons
• 54 sanitary sewage lift Stations
• 11 stormwater stations
• 4 meter stations
• 4 rain gauges
• 1100 miles of sanitary sewer pipes
• 23,347 sanitary sewer manholes
• 383 miles of storm sewer pipes
• 11,355 storm sewer manholes
• 17,800 catch basins

Water Resource Recovery Facility:

• Treats 18,000 million gallons of water annually.
• Treats an average of 40 million gallons of water a day.
• Has a design capacity of treating 61.1 million gallons a day.
• Has a peak hydraulic capacity is 90 million gallons per day. Industrial Pretreatment Program:

• Issues, tracks, maintains, samples, and reports results for 85 significant industrial user permits.
• Tracks activities of over 7,000 non-domestic users.
• Responsible for industrial users in 10 outlying jurisdictions. To accomplish that task we must liaison and have each jurisdiction maintain equivalent ordinances that give IPP the authority to enforce those ordinances in those jurisdictions.
• Tracks pollutants and the effects on the WRRF by monitoring industrial sources of pollutants placed at strategic locations, to capture discharges from groups of industries.
• Monitors whole effluent toxicity per NPDES requirements on WRRF final effluent; samples are sent to two outside laboratories for toxicity testing. Laboratory Services:

• Performs about 15,000 analysis each year, about $300K worth of analysis.
• Coordinate the analysis of 6,000 samples through contract labs.
• Provide tours to approximately 1300 people annually.
• Maintain 22 real time continuous monitoring equipment for process control. 8 new monitors being added.
• Support IPP and Stormwater programs by providing analytical and technical services. For more information about the Environmental Services Department, visit our website at www.grcity.us/ESD

Follow us on Instagram: http://Instagram.com/EnvironmentalServicesGR

Summer's almost here and the plans are looking solid so far ☀️
06/12/2026

Summer's almost here and the plans are looking solid so far ☀️

06/10/2026

ESD is joining The City of Grand Rapids Severe Weather Response series, and we're sharing exactly how we respond when the storms roll in! 🌧️ Learn how our team prepares Grand Rapids' water systems before, during, and after a storm and what YOU can do to stay informed when severe weather strikes. Text GrandRapids to 888777 to register for emergency alerts, and follow the City of Grand Rapids to catch the full series!

Your storm drain might be more important than you think. The Rapidian breaks down how and why to care for Grand Rapids' ...
06/10/2026

Your storm drain might be more important than you think. The Rapidian breaks down how and why to care for Grand Rapids' storm drains, and how you can adopt one through LGROW's Adopt-a-Drain program. Link in the post's comments!

As the stormy summer months approach, Grand Rapidians can act to protect local waterways by clearing storm drains before the rain falls.

The Adopt-a-Drain program, managed by the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW), provides education, equipment and light accountability for residents who adopt storm drains. | Link to the article in the comments.

06/08/2026

Nate from our Stormwater Team out at Coldbrook Creek, one of the spots we monitor to track water quality and stormwater flow. This kind of work helps us understand how runoff moves through the city, where pollutants end up, and how we can better protect local waterways. It's fieldwork that keeps the bigger picture in focus 💧

06/02/2026

What does stormwater management actually look like? The work blends infrastructure, green design, and environmental planning to manage how rain moves through our city. The goal? Livable spaces that also protect our local waterways 💧

Water Pool-ooza at the Lakeshore is a FREE, event for families in the Grand Rapids area, offering an exciting, hands-on ...
05/27/2026

Water Pool-ooza at the Lakeshore is a FREE, event for families in the Grand Rapids area, offering an exciting, hands-on look at how our drinking water is sourced, treated, and protected. Through guided tours of the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant and interactive activities led by water professionals, attendees explore real-world careers, conservation efforts, and how they can become champions of clean, fresh water in their community.

05/20/2026

40 million gallons a day. Collect, treat, return 💧

Rain gardens work best with native plants, and here's why. Natives have deeper root systems that absorb more stormwater ...
05/15/2026

Rain gardens work best with native plants, and here's why. Natives have deeper root systems that absorb more stormwater runoff, they filter pollutants naturally, and they thrive without extra water or chemicals. Better for the environment, easier for you 🌿

05/08/2026

Fun Fact Friday!

2,000 years later and we're still using the same brilliant design. Watch our Archimedes screws lift wastewater through the treatment process

Address

1300 Market Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI
49503

Telephone

+16164563000

Website

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