The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has offered to help maintain a high-tech, water monitoring system for Macomb, Wayne and St. Clair counties.

The system triggers a real-time alert when toxins flow from Lake Huron into St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and Lake Erie, waterways which all  supply drinking water to the region.

But with funding set to run out in November, members of Macomb County Water Resource Advisory Council (MCWRAC), and other leaders, have reached out to communities with water treatment plants to oversee the system on a long-term basis.

Leaders in Detroit agreed to stay in the program and work with other communities to figure out a long-term strategy for the system.

"We all came to to the table and were willing to discuss this," said Gerald Santoro, Program Manager of Land and Water Resources for Macomb County.

A fully operating system would cost between $500,000 and $1 million a year. That would translate to 50 cents a year for water customers in the tri-county area, according to county officials.

“I thank Mayor Dave Bing and community leaders from Port Huron to Monroe who continue to support our clean water efforts," Hackel said. "The MCWRAC team of experts has been a valuable resource to get regional cooperation to help promote our waterways and keep them safe."