The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) series (36 linear feet and 8.41 GB) primarily documents Bulkley's activities as a special master (1977-1978) and monitor (1978-1983) in the Environmental Protection Agency's lawsuit against the City of Detroit (case number 77-1100), which addressed the city's violation of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and was presided over by Judge John Feikens. Materials include monitor and master reports, consent decrees/judgements, clippings, correspondence, court proceedings/testimony, reports (including consent judgement progress reports), legal documents, meeting minutes, operating logs, notes, publications, and photographs.
The major focus of this series is the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, one of the largest governmental water and wastewater service utilities providers in the United States whose service area consists of multiple sewer districts and individual municipalities. Specific topics include negotiating the consent judgment and amended consent judgement, which addressed industrial waste control, staff training, effluent limitations, air quality, and user charges (among other topics); the testing of the Detroit Wastewater Treatment Plant's (DWWTP/DWTP) sewage treatment capabilities to ensure compliance with the standards of the Clean Water Act; and the appointment of Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young and Professor Joe G. Moore to facilitate compliance with the court-ordered judgment, particularly when the test revealed the DWWTP's inadequate treatment of waste materials.
Other significant topics include the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program and the Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP); DWWTP's building improvements and related lawsuits; various committees Bulkley was involved with, particularly those pertaining to the Greater Detroit Regional Sewer System (GDRSS); CSO control efforts, as exemplified by the long-term CSO control plan; and the challenge of maintaining the DWWTP under the City of Detroit's jurisdiction.
