You can access your account for current and past payments, print a bill, or check consumption history by clicking on the link below. When asked to enter the account number, use all 9 digits plus 3 digit code and the first and last name exactly as it appears on the bill.

• https://www.municipalonlinepayments.com/shelbychtmacombcntmi/utilities

Automatic Bill Payment Program – customers can authorize the DPW to have their payments electronically withdrawn from their savings or checking accounts on the due date.

• Information Sheet and Enrollment Form

Online Payments

You may pay your water bill through our online service. Payments accepted are eChecks, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. The convenience fee for credit/debit cards is 2.75% with a $2.50 minimum fee, and the convenience fee for eChecks is $1. Enter the account number (9 digits plus 3 digit code) and the first and last name exactly as it appears on the bill.

Make a payment: https://www.municipalonlinepayments.com/shelbychtmacombcntmi/utilities

Bank Online Payments: Online banking payments made by customers via their own bank’s web site are accepted. When setting up your account, verify that the account number is exactly as written on your bill. (9 digits plus 3 digit code).

Phone

Customers can pay via credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover) by calling 877-565-3139. A convenience charge of 2.75 percent, with a $2.50 minimum fee, applies to payments made at this number.

Mail

Mail payments (include barcode stub) to 6333 23 Mile Road, Shelby Township MI 48316

In Person

• DPW Building located at 6333 23 Mile Road (between Van Dyke Ave. and Mound Road). Hours: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Payments accepted are cash, check or money order. Credit card payments can be made in person. A convenience charge of 2.75% with a $2.50 minimum applies.

• Treasurer’s Office located at 52700 Van Dyke Ave. Hours: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Payments accepted are cash, check or money order. No online payments can be made at this location.

• A 24 hour drop box: Located outside the circle drive of the DPW Building (6333 23 Mile Road) and the 24 Mile Road Entrance to the Shelby Township Municipal Campus located at 52700 Van Dyke Ave. Payments (with barcode stub) may be placed in either drop box and will posted the following business day. Please do not place cash in the drop box.

• Water Rate - $4.286 per hundred cubic feet (748 gallons) + $2.50 Admin Fee
• Sewer Rate - $6.208 per hundred cubic feet (748 gallons) + $1.65 Admin Fee
• Rates are in effect for any bill produced after January 1, 2024.

Tap water is one of the better values in Southeast Michigan. For the price paid in a typical water bill, the quality of water in terms of taste, pressure and availability can’t be beat. While our source water from Lake Huron is free, costs are incurred for chemicals, treatment, pumping, distribution system operation and maintenance, meter reading, billing and customer support services.

The Great Lakes Water Authority provides potable water to nearly 4 million people in 126 communities. That is approximately 40 percent of the state’s population. The system pumps an average of 610 million gallons of drinking water a day, delivering it through 12,500 miles of distribution mains. Shelby Township’s water comes from Lake Huron. Water is produced as needed, in response to demand. The system is designed to treat and deliver water on a continuous basis. A 12-16 hour supply of treated water is typically kept in the reservoir at the treatment plant to supply potable water. If demand increases, production increases.

Water production by GLWA is a 24/7 operation 365 days a year. The 5 treatment plants, 22 booster pumping stations, 34 reservoirs and transmission mains are always in operation ready to meet demand. To ensure a reliable and adequate water supply, Shelby is connected to the GLWA system by 6 meter pit connections throughout the township.

Once water flows into Shelby, it is entrusted to our Water Department staff of 23 maintenance and administrative employees. This includes 8 licensed distribution system operators who manage 419.5 miles of water main, 4,686 gate valves and 5,074 fire hydrants that require routine maintenance. Meter reading, billing and customer service must also be provided for our 29,719 accounts.

In 2022, Shelby Township residents and businesses used approximately 3.17 billion gallons of water. The average use per day is 8.7 million gallons. Every time we turn on a faucet or start up our sprinkler systems we create a demand on the system. Of the total water used, approximately 35% was used for lawn irrigation.

As lawn irrigation is the largest user during the summer months, the water consumption is drastically impacted by the weather. If the area has ten days of heat and no rain, consumption goes up. Once it rains, consumption drops. As a result, the highest usage occurs during the summer.

Maximum day usages along with peak hour demand are things which are taken into consideration for delivery purposes. These are the ultimate conditions under which the Great Lakes Water Authority must be able to deliver water to our community. As part of our contract with GLWA, Shelby Township commits to a peak hour demand usage value that we will not exceed during the year. GLWA, in turn, commits to deliver these flow rates at a specific pressure range and sets its operation and capital improvement budgets around this flow rate.

Many components play a role in meeting the maximum day and peak hour demands. They include capital improvement cost to ensure the water reaches its destination, chemical costs to treat the raw water, and utility costs to pump the water from the source and transport the treated water to the local communities.

Electrical consumption is significant in the rising costs to meet peak hour demand. As electric rates climb during peak power usage so does demand and the cost to transport water. Similar to DTE Energy’s rate plan that gives customers a lower rate during off-peak hours, GLWA’s wholesale rate formula allows Shelby Township to balance summer water consumption by increasing use during offpeak hours which reduces our peak hour consumption on the highest demand day. Shelby Township can reduce demand by moving automated water usage to off-peak hours (see Sprinkling Ban Ordinance information). The net effect is to balance the demands on the system and reduce pumping required during peak hours.

While we are surrounded by 21% of the total fresh water on the planet, it is still an enormous task to ensure that a safe water supply is delivered to every residential, commercial and industrial user in the township. We realize how important it is that each person can rely on the quality and availability of this most valuable resource whether it is used for human consumption, domestic or commercial needs, lawn irrigation or fire protection. By utilizing the water wisely we can rest assured that this life sustaining element will be protected for future generations.

During the summer of 2020, our community exceeded its maximum allowable peak water usage as dictated by the Great Lakes Water Authority. Particularly in July, the township averaged more than our maximum permissible usage by as much as 10 percent. The most significant driver of this was lawn irrigation during peak hours, which the GLWA defines any time outside the 11 p.m.-5 a.m. window.

Because of this significant increase in usage, the GLWA, the township’s wholesale municipal water supplier, reviewed our rates and compelled the Shelby Township Department of Public Works to enact certain safeguards to ensure these exceedances do not reoccur.

These GLWA-mandated safeguards included modifying our existing Voluntary Irrigation Ordinance with a Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance. This ordinance restricts non-essential water usage to decrease the maximum normal water usage at peak hours.

Together, we can keep our water and sewer rates stable and help avoid unnecessary rate increases in the future. This action also provides better water pressure for the complete system, ensuring protection to the public’s health, welfare and safety.

Failure to reduce our peak hours water usage, per the GLWA contractual limits, risks significant increases to our wholesale costs from the GLWA of $1.8 million annually. This wholesale increase would result in a mandated increase to our ratepayers of roughly 13% of a household’s water bill, and these increases would last through 2027 and likely never be reduced. Adhering to the Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance is our one chance to avoid these recurring increased rates.

This ordinance does not impact residents that operate an irrigation system fed from a source other than the municipal water supply, such as a well, lake or pond.

How to comply with the new Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance

• Operate sprinklers connected to the municipal water system between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
• Even-numbered addresses must sprinkle on even-numbered calendar dates.
• Odd-numbered addresses must sprinkle on odd-numbered calendar dates.
• Manual watering is only allowed daily after 9 a.m. This practice includes hand watering gardens or potted plants and car washing with a shut-off nozzle.
• Irrigate newly seeded or sodded lawns as often as required for 21 days following planting. Do not water 5-9 a.m.

For more information on the Mandatory Irrigation Ordinance, contact the Department of Public Works at 586-731-5990 or dpw@shelbytwp.org.

In less than 12 months, the Shelby Township Board of Trustees and Department of Public Works added a 3.5-million-gallon water reservoir and pump facility to the community's toolbox to combat possible water rate increases.

As crews wait to install the façade on the reservoir and pump house on 24 Mile Road just west of the M-53 Expressway, the facility is operational and ready to meet all water needs ahead of the 2022 irrigation season when demand is at its highest.

“Building a facility like this in less than 12 months during a pandemic with global supply-chain issues is nothing short of a miracle, but our team got it done,” DPW Director Dave Miller said.

“We were proactive ordering our materials and equipment before a lot of the supply issues took effect. If not for that, this facility would not have been operational to support the 2022 irrigation season. We’ve tested, sterilized and filled the tank, so we are ready to go.”

Shelby Township breaks ground on water storage facility to curb future water costs

Shelby Township's new 3.5-million gallon water reservoir facility

Shelby Township's new 3.5-million gallon water reservoir and pump facility takes shape

Crews install roof panels for Shelby Township’s 3.5 million gallon water reservoir

Water reservoir facility is ready to meet the needs of the 2022 irrigation season

For 2024, yard waste collection begins March 25 and ends Dec. 13.

Yard waste consists of leaves, lawn cuttings, shrubs and tree trimmings. Priority Waste residential customers should place yard waste into the designated brown containers, paper biodegradable bags or labeled containers up to 35 gallons in size. Priority Waste enforces a yard waste weight limit of 50 pounds. Brush and limbs less than 2 inches in diameter must be in bundles no longer than 4 feet and not exceeding a total of 18 inches in diameter or more than 50 pounds. Mulch/wood chips, in small quantities, can be places in yard waste containers, but may not exceed the weight limit of 50 pounds. Dirt, sod, large stumps, sand, gravel, concrete, rocks, animal feces and dead animals are not considered yard waste.

Yard waste containing plastic containers, potters, mulch bags or other plastic is considered contaminated and will be disposed of in regular trash. Please remove all plastic bags, ties and piece from yard waste before placing on the curb.

Electronics can be reused so it's important to recycle them to keep them out of the landfill. Bring them to our Electronic Recycling events in the township to get them out of your house and responsibly disposed of.

Our electronics recycling event is for Shelby Township residents only and being held at a new location. Join us at River Bends Park to properly dispose of your unwanted, broken, used and old electronic equipment.

Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024
9 AM - 1 PM

River Bends Park
5700 22 Mile Road
Enter off 22 Mile Road, between Shelby and Ryan roads.

Items Accepted: computer parts & accessories, servers, monitors, TVs and accessories, humidifiers, cables, electronic games, gaming consoles including handheld, phones and music players, microwaves, radios and holiday lights.

Items Not Accepted: light bulbs, household batteries, VHS tapes, CDs, items containing Freon like dehumidifiers and air conditioners, liquids or items containing liquids, large appliances, mercury switches and thermostats.

For Priority Waste Shelby Township residential customers only.

NO ELECTRONICS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Saturday, April 27, 2024
9 AM - 2 PM

River Bends Park
5700 22 Mile Road
Enter off 22 Mile Road, between Shelby and Ryan roads.

Items Accepted: pesticides, herbicides, oil, gasoline, antifreeze, paint thinner, fire extinguishers, propane cylinders, smoke detectors, cooking oil, car batteries, household batteries, cleaners, compact fluorescent, LED, and fluorescent bulbs, aerosols, mercury-containing devices, chlorine, oil-based, and latex paint.

Eyeglasses and pill medications are also accepted. Please have both available on the front seat. Remove pills from bottles and place in a resealable bag. Do not bring empty pill bottles. Liquid medications, aerosols and injectables are not accepted.

Sharps accepted in a sealed coffee can or rigid plastic container.

Items Not Accepted: electronics, explosives, medical or business waste, appliances, tires, ammunition, or trash

For more information call the Shelby Township DPW at 586-731-5990

• Backflow Preventer Test Report Form
• License Backflow Specialists List

Under the direction of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, all municipalities need to perform inspections on residential properties for cross connections.

What is a cross connection and why is it important to our customers?
A cross-connection is an actual or potential connection between the safe drinking water (potable) supply and a source of contamination or pollution. State plumbing codes require approved backflow prevention methods to be installed at every point of potable water connection and use. Cross connections must be properly protected or eliminated.

Examples of potential cross connections that may be found in your residence include:

• Lawn irrigation systems
• Water assisted back up sump pumps
• Unprotected hose bibs
• Hard piped pool or pond fills
• Boiler used for heating

Below are some items you can do to protect your drinking water: 

Do...

• Ensure lawn irrigation systems have proper backflow protection.
• Keep the ends of hoses clear of all possible contaminants.
• Verify and install a simple hose bibb vacuum breaker on all threaded faucets around your home.
• Make sure water treatment devices such as water softeners have the proper “air gap”, which is a minimum of one inch above any drain.
• Ensure water back-up sump pump has backflow protection.
• Keep a physical disconnection between municipal water and wells or lakes used for irrigation.

Don't...

• Submerge hoses in buckets, pools, tubs, sinks or ponds.
• Use spray attachments on hoses without a backflow prevention device.
• Connect waste pipes from water softeners or other treatment systems directly to the sewer or submerged drain pipe. Always be sure there is a one inch “air gap” separation.

Program Information

In compliance with EGLE’s requirements, the Shelby Township Department of Public Works Cross Connection Control Program has the following residential requirements:

• Inspection
  Inspections are conducted to ensure compliance with federal, state regulations or local ordinances to maintain the safety of your drinking water. Some inspections will be conducted outside the home. If an internal inspection is needed or the inspector has further questions, an additional inspection will be required. During the inspection, a Shelby Township Department of Public Works Cross Connection Control Inspector ensures that the proper backflow prevention devices are in place to protect the public water supply.
• Testing
  Like any other mechanical device, backflow prevention assemblies are prone to wear and tear and break down from time to time. Regular testing is required to ensure your device remains in proper working order. Assemblies must be tested initially upon installation, immediately after repair or relocation, and at regular intervals.
• How do I have my backflow tested?
  Property owners are responsible for hiring a licensed ASSE-certified tester to test any backflow preventer. A list of certified inspectors is available for your use at watercustomer.com. Test reports need to be entered directly into HydroSoft or emailed to DPW@shelbytwp.org.
• Required repairs and Corrections
  Property owners are responsible for hiring a licensed plumber if a device needs to be repaired or replaced.
• Please Keep a Record
  Please record all devices and their test reports, including backflow model, serial # and install date.

Visit HydroCorp for a list of certified plumber or certified testers.

Have your plumber or certified tester complete the Hydrosoft registration process.

The Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, 1976 PA399, as amended, requires that water supplies develop and maintain a Complete Distribution System Materials Inventory (CDSMI) of all service lines within a community.  The purpose of the CDSMI is to characterize, record and maintain this inventory of distribution system materials, including service lines materials on both public and private property.  Through a variety of sources including records, ordinances, invoices, plans, testimonies and visual inspections, it has been proven that Shelby Township does not have any lead service lines.  

Shelby Township's CDSMI

When a Shelby Township Department of Public Works customer is moving from a home, condo or apartment, a final read is requested. The final read bill indicates the costs associated with the consumption between the last time the water meter was read and the meter read on the final read request date.

Final water reads can be obtained by the homeowner and submitted using the form below. The final read bill is sent to the customer via email, fax, mail or picked up at the DPW office. Reads can also be obtained by a DPW technician.

Customers can also send their final read information to the Shelby Township DPW via email: finalread@shelbytwp.org.

When obtaining your water meter, usually located in the basement of your home, please read in all six digits.

• Final Water Bill Request Form

The Shelby Township Department of Public Works and DTE Energy work together to maintain street lighting throughout the township. Crews from DTE Energy handle repairs and replacements of broken or defective street lights. For more information, contact the Shelby Township Department of Public Works.

The Shelby Township Department of Public Works is pleased to announce that it is now a member of the Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP). WRAP is a program designed to assist residents with paying their water and sewer bills. Funds are provided through a collaborative effort of communities served by Great Lakes Water Authority. To learn more about this program or to apply, go to www.waynemetro.org/wrap or call 586-469-6464.

Miss Dig is the central contact for the protection of underground utilities. The Miss Dig System’s primary function is to process locate requests from individuals planning to dig and notifies its member utilities about these excavations. The member utilities then mark the dig site, indicating the approximate location of their underground public utility lines (Miss Dig does not mark).

Michigan's statute, Act 174 of Public Act 2013, requires anyone who engages in, or is responsible for, the planning or performance of any type of excavation e.g.; grading, demolition, cultivating, augering, blasting, or boring to provide advance notice of at least three full business days to MISS DIG by dialing 811, 800-482-7171, or online via a Remote Ticket Entry program or E-Locate program: http://newtin.missdig.org/newtinweb/missdig_e-locate.html#divLogIn .The notification center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to take ticket requests. MISS DIG must be contacted prior to excavation in order to comply with the state statute. You must, however, contact the utility company directly in the event of a utility line damage. Miss Dig does not process that type of information.

If you notice colored flags in your yard or along the roadway, it is an indicator that someone is planning to perform underground construction in that area. The following utility companies are represented by colored flags as indicated:

Not sure who is digging? Please call Miss Dig at the number below.

Shelby Township Storm Water Management Plan

• Shelby Township NPDES MS4 Permit
• Shelby Township Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP)

For additional assistance or to comment on our MS4 Permit, contact Danielle Allen at 586-731-5990 ext. 1850 or email allend@shelbytwp.org.  

Macomb County Public Works - Report a Polluter 

The two greatest sources of water quality problems in the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair are polluted storm water runoff and illicit discharges that contain bacteria and nutrients.

Runoff is rain or snowmelt that carries pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, and bacteria off the land through the storm water drainage system into a water body.

Illicit discharges occur when sewage or other wastewater that should be directed to a sanitary sewer system or onsite sewage treatment system (septic system) is released into a storm drain system. Illicit discharges can release large quantities of harmful bacteria and pollutants into our rivers and lakes.

Failing septic fields, direct connections between household plumbing and storm drains and spilling, dumping, and pumping are all sources of illicit discharges. Identification and elimination of illicit discharges is necessary to protect our water supply and prevent water borne illnesses.

The Illicit Discharge Elimination Program is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of pollution entering the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. The goal of the IDEP project is to decrease the amount of sanitary sewage and non-sanitary discharges that enter the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair through illicit connection into the storm water drainage system. By eliminating illicit discharges, we are able to address the number one concern for residents of Macomb County: sewage entering the Clinton River contributing to beach closings.

Illicit discharges to ditches and drains flowing into the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair are major contributors to the pollution problems that have plagued Lake St. Clair. Macomb County and its local communities realize their responsibility for protecting this valuable resource. Macomb County is committed to a long-term sustained effort to preserve and protect the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair.

Please contact the Macomb County if you observe (You may remain anonymous if you desire):

• A strong sewage odor
• Discharges or dumping of pollutants into
• drains, ditches, ponds, lakes, or rivers
• Sewage on the ground surface

Be prepared to give the following information:

• Location of complaint
• Source of pollution, if known
• Responsible party, if known
• Any other relevant observations

Call 1-877-679-4337
The Macomb County Public Works Office has established a 24-Hour hotline that will be available to accept water pollution complaints after normal business hours. If your call is of an urgent nature, on-call staff will be notified to take action. All other calls will be responded to on the next business day.

Additional Resources

• Clinton River Watershed Council
• Clinton River East Watershed
• Red Run Water Shed
• Waterfront Wisdom
• RV Dump Stations
• Waterfront Wisdom Booklet
• Macomb Household Hazardous Waste Collection
• Southeast Michigan Council of Governments