Wow.. There is so much misinformation and conflated statements here it is hard to know where to start to help unwind and correct it all.

Realizing the article was written in jest, its the same old same old bad information meant to inflame the uninformed however it does such a disservice to our community. Of course there is no raw sewage dumped into the Saginaw River. That terrible 'Regulation' you hear so much about?..both the U.S. EPA and the state DEQ have significant regulations to prevent that from happening and to make discharges of raw sewage into the Saginaw River (or any water body) illegal.

The worst part of your jestful story is that it diminishes the work we've all done to improve and show off our community and the important (and expensive) equipment upgrades Bay City Wastewater Treatment system users and rate payers have been paying for these past 30 plus years.

The Saginaw River is cleaner today than it has been in probably the past 100 years, before the logs, industrial debris and raw sewage really did go straight into the river. To think nothing has changed is just simply laughable.

I'd suggest taking a tour of the Bay City Wastewater Treatment plant during their next Open House or call and ask for a private tour, I'm sure they'd be happy to show off their best-in-Michigan treatment operations.

And the Bay County Water Treatment Plant you mention, it takes in fresh water from the northern bay and polishes it up to provide exceptional quality drinking water. I am thankful for this every morning when I make coffee and my tap water doesn't stink anymore.

As Director of Bay County Environmental Affairs and Community Development it's important that I try and correct misinformation and remind people of the restoration work and investment that's been made by so many someone's who have worked so long and hard to improve our community.

Yes we need to figure out how we can reduce the costs of living in Bay City, but discharging bad information is not helpful. Be informed, that's helpful. Finally, if you want more information water quality sampling is done weekly in the Saginaw River and the bay during the summer. Results are reported here: http://www.deq.state.mi.us/beach/