MARYSVILLE, Mich. (Aug. 25, 2025) — Representing the entire U.S. shoreline of Lake St. Clair in the Michigan Senate, Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) has been a vocal advocate for the lake and has championed tens of millions of dollars in funding for critical water infrastructure projects. Among those investments was $1.5 million in the 2025 State Budget for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ (SEMCOG) water monitoring program. Today, Sen. Hertel joined Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller and other local leaders to officially mark its launch at the Marysville Water Filtration Plant. After the event concluded, Sen. Hertel issued the following statement:
“Lake St. Clair is too important to be treated as a partisan or a jurisdictional issue — it must be a community issue that we all are responsible for protecting. I’m grateful that this belief is shared by so many of our local leaders. Thanks to SEMCOG’s leadership and the collaborative efforts of communities across the lakeshore, we now have the tools to swiftly detect and address potential contaminants in our water. That means families can have greater peace of mind knowing the water coming out of their faucet at home is safe, and we can ensure the lake remains a healthy, sustainable resource for generations to come.”
This funding builds on a series of investments Sen. Hertel has worked to secure for water infrastructure projects throughout Lake St. Clair communities. In recent years, he has worked with local officials such as Commissioner Miller to bring nearly $100 million back to the region to protect the health of the lake, including:
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$72 million for Chapaton Retention Basin in St. Clair Shores to construct additional system storage that can be utilized during heavy rains, helping to reduce combined sewer overflows into Lake St. Clair by 40%. (FY23)
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$5 million for the Saint Clair Shores Martin Drain District to address combined sewer overflows and prevent millions of gallons of wastewater from flowing into Lake St. Clair. (FY24)
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$5 million for the Chesterfield Interceptor to proactively address aging infrastructure in order to avoid catastrophes like sinkholes. (FY24)
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$2 million for New Baltimore to repair the breakwalls at Walter and Mary Burke Park, helping protect the shoreline, prevent flooding, and deter shore erosion. (FY25)
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$1.5 million for Mount Clemens to make much-needed updates to their aging sewage treatment infrastructure. (FY25)
