Elk Rapids’ wastewater plant
8228 Herman Rd., Elk Rapids; treated water leaves at outfall 001 on the Elk River (44.90110, -85.41280) · Map
By Observer Staff · Status as of Nov. 3, 2026
No hearing is set. When EGLE drafts the renewed permit, watch for a public notice and comment period. We check the state’s notice list regularly and will post it here.
What it is
ELK RAPIDS — The village’s sewage plant, at the lower end of the chain. Wastewater goes through mechanical screens, two aerated lagoons, chemical treatment for phosphorus, clarifiers, filters and ultraviolet disinfection, and is released to the Elk River, which runs about 1.6 miles through the village to the Elk Rapids Dam and East Grand Traverse Bay. Township minutes say the sewer also serves properties across the line in Milton Township (secondary).
Who runs it
The state permit names the Village of Elk Rapids, 315 Bridge Street, as the permit holder.
What the records show
The plant’s permit expired Oct. 1, 2024. The state lists it as “Extended” while a renewal application filed Jan. 10, 2024 is “In Process.”
- The permit (issued July 24, 2020) limits phosphorus to 1.0 mg/L as a monthly average and 4.8 pounds a day. It says the 0.582 million-gallon design flow is “not to be considered a limitation or actual capacity.”
- The village’s July 2026 report shows phosphorus at 1.5 mg/L against the 1.0 limit, and 5.6 pounds a day against the 4.8 limit. The village’s note says the plant “was returning water from the biosolids lagoons back into the treatment system. We didn’t account for the high load of PO4 from this water coming back into the system.” September 2026 averaged 0.65 mg/L, within the limit.
- A state inspection letter of July 10, 2026 (CC-007116) lists test-method and record-keeping problems and monthly-report violations from January 2024 to April 2026. They include phosphorus of 1.7 mg/L in August 2024 (limit 1.0), fecal coliform above its limit in April 2026 (the village noted the UV bulbs “required cleaning”), and an overflow of “approximately 200 gallons of sanitary sewage to the ground” on Dec. 15, 2025. The letter says “None of the below reported violations appear to be continuing.”
- The state lists 533 violation entries for the plant, going back to 2003. Many are automatic flags marked “Not Reviewed,” and the newest are from July 2026.
EGLE MiEnviro site record, read Nov. 3, 2026; NPDES permit MI0059296 (2020); EGLE inspection letter CC-007116 (July 10, 2026); the village’s monthly reports for July and September 2026; Elk Rapids and Milton township minutes.
The permit and the record
- State (EGLE)
Discharge permit (NPDES) MI0059296
Expired Oct. 1, 2024; listed as “Extended”
Issued July 24, 2020. Discharges to the Elk River. State record →
- State (EGLE)
Application to renew the permit HPZ-AK2W-5YRW7
In process1028 days
Received Jan. 10, 2024. No public comment period is open.
- State (EGLE)
Inspection letter CC-007116
Issued July 10, 2026
After a June 25, 2026 inspection: test-method, record-keeping and monthly-report violations from Jan. 2024 to April 2026. It says none appear to be continuing.
- Village’s own report
Phosphorus, July 2026
1.5 mg/L against a 1.0 limit
The village ties it to returning lagoon water to the plant.