Boston, Mass. (Oct. 1, 2018) — Veolia North America announced today that it has entered into a contract to assume operations and management responsibilities for wastewater services in 13 tributary communities in Wayne County, Mich.
The company will operate and maintain the wastewater plant in Wyandotte, Mich., on behalf of the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority (DUWA), which recently assumed ownership of the plant after completing a transaction with Wayne County. The Downriver System, the second largest wastewater system in Michigan, serves a population of 350,000 in the communities of Allen Park, Belleville, Brownstown Township, Ecorse, Dearborn Heights, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, Riverview, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Van Buren Township and Wyandotte.
While DUWA will maintain ownership and oversight of the plant, DUWA has contracted with Veolia North America to handle daily operations and management, pointing to the company’s breadth of expertise in providing quality wastewater services to more than 230 communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“We are pleased to support DUWA in delivering high quality wastewater services to the more than 350,000 people living in these communities,” said Bill DiCroce, president and CEO of Veolia North America, which under terms of the contract will oversee operations and management for the next 20 years. “We’re also excited to welcome twenty-six men and women who have worked at the facility as employees of the County as vital new members of the Veolia North America team.
DUWA’s recent acquisition of the plant marked the successful end of negotiations with Wayne County which had owned and operated the plant since 1962. Ownership will now be assumed by the individual communities under the umbrella of the Authority, which will be overseen by a Board of Directors made up of leaders from each of the communities.
DUWA’s efforts to acquire the wastewater system began when the County’s 50-year wastewater services contract with the 13 communities expired in 2012. In 2015, the County decided to put the facility up for sale rather than continuing to own and operate it. The Authority issued a “Letter of Intent” to purchase the system in 2016, with today’s announcement marking the close of the transaction.
