Michigan's auditor general has criticized the state's Office of the Great Lakes for failures related to its management of toxic sites it controls, including the Detroit and Rouge rivers.
Specifically, the audit cites a lack of updates to the office's action plans for managing the sites, required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has final oversight of toxic sites and monitors states' handing of cleanup efforts. The state's plans date back to 2008 and the audit focused on the period of January 2014 to June 2018.
The audit also notes that the office did not put in place a formal process to verify the need to remove impairments as part of the cleanup. Instead, informal input was sought from experts and it was not always documented, according to the audit report.
In responding to the report, the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy acknowledged the failures noted and stated it would take measures to correct the problems.
Alerts Sign-up