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This region’s drinking water and the environmental quality of the Detroit River were somewhat better protected on Tuesday after Detroit City Council unanimously approved new legislation designed to improve safeguards against industrial spills and intensify inspections of commercial operators on the seafront.

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The Detroit River Protection Ordinance was developed under the direction of Detroit County. Raquel Castañeda-López, who represents the waterfront areas near the Ambassador Bridge and downstream, as well as the city’s legal department and conservationists in the Detroit area.

It changes the ownership standards for waterfront properties used for industrial or commercial purposes on the Detroit River, increases municipal inspections, increases reporting requirements for accidents, and allows for greater enforcement of fines for violations.

“The Detroiters deserve the right to play along their river and drink from its waters without fear for their health or safety,” Castañeda-López said. “The Detroit River Protection Ordinance will ensure that future generations have the same rights.”

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Justin Onwenu, a member of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s advisory board on environmental justice that helped draft the ordinance, said residents on the Windsor River side should also welcome the new ordinance that will begin to be enforced. from next July.

“This region is defined by water for better or for worse,” he said. “Residents of Michigan and the Canadian side deserve our waterways protected. We have seen so many worrying issues or incidents. This ordinance will help to ensure that these incidents do not happen again. Canadians can be relieved and also happy about this.

Castañeda-López led efforts to create the ordinance following a shoreline collapse in November 2019 at the former Revere Copper site, about one kilometer west of the Ambassador Bridge.

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Aggregate company Detroit Bulk Storage was responsible for the collapse after storing limestone along the shore. The company then did not report the incident to anyone other than the US Coast Guard, who were concerned that the shipping channel might be obstructed.

The US Department of Environmental Protection, Michigan Department of the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the City of Detroit were among those who were never told and learned of the incident only after the Windsor Star reported the shore collapse a week later.

Environmental concerns were high on both sides of the river following the shoreline collapse, as the property was for many years the manufacturing site of Revere Copper, which for decades handled products of ‘uranium. After the company closed in the 1980s, the site was a known industrial dumping ground for PCBs and other toxins.

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“What is most important is how this ordinance calls for regular inspections to ensure operators are following safe practices,” Onwenu said. “Also, how does this require proper notification every time an incident occurs in terms of officials and residents of the area.”

The new Detroit River Ordinance not only calls for regular municipal inspections of waterfront business operators, but also calls for a report from the city administration to Detroit council every two years on the state of waterfront infrastructure.

As a result of the Revere Copper incident, more than 1,050 tickets and US $ 500,000 in fines were imposed on landowners for infractions along the river, said Jessica Parker, Enforcement Manager Detroit Department of Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Laws.

“The ordinance will allow for more uniform monitoring and enforcement,” she said. “This ordinance is a proactive step to help keep our waterways safe and clean for public use.”

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