DirtyWaterWatch Public waters. Public record.

Michigan / Waters /

Red Cedar River

River in Michigan, past Okemos and Williamston

Current status

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received

Radar shows that recent rain at a combined sewer system's outlets has reached the amount set for that system, and its operator has not reported a discharge. It reads "discharge likely" where the amount is the one at which that system has discharged before, or a rain trigger its state publishes, and "discharge possible" where only this site's default of 0.1 inch applies. This is an estimate, not a report. This status since . Why this status, and its source

Reports on this water also include discharges that arrived from upstream.

This badge describes the water outline. Check the downstream stretches on the map and below for discharge statuses.

Map sources: water outlines and launches from OpenBoatLaunch and OpenStreetMap contributors (Open Database License); wastewater outlets from EPA and state records; downstream estimates by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey maps and flow data. Base map: OpenFreeMap and OpenMapTiles.

Square boat markers mark boat launches listed by OpenBoatLaunch. Dashed river stretches are estimates.

Check City of East Lansing's notices · Bookmark this water page and check it before each trip · Report a missing notice or error

About this status

Discharge possible: heavy rain, no report received: heavy rain at a sewer operator's outlets reached this site's default amount, and no report received; shown for 48 hours after the rain (site rule). 2.7 in of rain fell in the 24 hours to Nov 4, 2026, 7:00 PM EST at City of East Lansing's outfalls (NOAA radar estimate).

Source: NOAA National Weather Service, MRMS radar-only rainfall estimate, valid Nov 4, 2026, 7:00 PM EST, retrieved 2026-11-05 01:19 UTC; threshold: site default; rule: How it works, discharge likely or possible. · Updated

Reports behind this status

Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system.

Reports behind the status of Red Cedar River, newest first
WhenReportStatus
City of Lansing · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 14, 10:30 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 14, 10:15 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume in each report mapto Nov 14, 10:00 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume in each report mapto Nov 14, 7:00 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 14, 9:00 AM

Sources: EGLE MiEnviro CSO/SSO List, retrieved 2026-11-05 01:07 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Estimated downstream stretches on Red Cedar River

640 estimated stretches from 2 outlets

Estimated downstream stretch — not checked by water sampling. Estimated by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements; not an official advisory area. This estimates water movement, not bacteria levels.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

  • End not confirmed 0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet

    0 to 0 kilometres below the outlet · from City of Lansing WWTP

    Estimated travel time from outlet 026: about 1 hour. Estimate based on the river's average yearly flow; no current gauge reading was available.

Showing 12 of 640 estimated stretches, nearest the outlets first.

Estimated routes below wastewater outlets

3 routes below outlets
  • Caution Permit MI0022853, outlet 015 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit
  • Caution Permit MI0023400, outlet 026 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit
  • Caution Permit MI0023400, outlet 032 · 40 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at the 40-kilometre limit

Source: DirtyWaterWatch estimates using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements. The estimate stops at tidal water, the first lake or the distance limit.

The last 90 days

Last 90 days, hour by hour. Red: discharge or advisory reported. Amber: caution. Hatched amber: end not confirmed. Plum: algal bloom advisory. Red or amber with a light line inside: beach advisory or caution. Dotted: monthly report (days with discharge, dates not given). Grey: no current status on the water outline. Purple hatching: source update overdue.
  • Discharge likely or possible: heavy rain, no report received: to the latest update
    Radar estimate, no report received: heavy rain at the outlets of City of East Lansing, City of Lansing
  • End not confirmed: to
    16 reports: City of Lansing 16
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    16 reports: City of Lansing 16
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    2 reports: City of Lansing 2
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    2 reports: City of Lansing 2
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    2 reports: City of Lansing 2
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    2 reports: City of Lansing 2
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    1 report: City of Lansing 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: City of Lansing 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    4 reports: City of Lansing 4
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

11 earlier periods appear as you scroll.

Source: DirtyWaterWatch calculations using the reports named above and the published status rules. Updated 2026-11-05 01:25 UTC.

Reported discharges over time

  • Discharges affecting the Red Cedar River in Michigan, last 12 months8585 affecting this stretch: 84 reported on the Red Cedar River; 1 arriving from outfalls further up the Red Cedar River (City of Lansing)December 2025 to November 2026Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once. Arriving discharges are estimated from modeled downstream reaches.
  • Days with a discharge affecting the Red Cedar River in Michigan, last 12 months44Reported on the Red Cedar River: 42 · Arriving from outfalls further up the Red Cedar River (City of Lansing), estimated: 2 (counted apart; together they need not equal the total)December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status on the Red Cedar River in Michigan, last 12 months445Reported on the Red Cedar River: 438 · Arriving from outfalls further up the Red Cedar River (City of Lansing), estimated: 8 (counted apart; together they need not equal the total)December 2025 to November 2026Red hours by the map's rules: each discharge to its reported end plus the state's post-discharge period; overlapping hours count once.
  • 2026 season with a discharge or advisory status on the Red Cedar River in Michigan7.1%May to October 2026Share of May 1 to October 31 hours with red status by the map's rules, of the hours a source covered.
  • Records behind the last-90-days strip for the Red Cedar River in Michigan34Reported on the Red Cedar River: 32 · Arriving from outfalls further up the Red Cedar River (City of Lansing), estimated: 0 · Other records (rain-likely and similar): 2last 90 daysEvery distinct record the strip lists for its red, yellow and unresolved hours, notices and unresolved reports included; counted as the strip counts them.

Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps. Blended discharge: wastewater that skipped some treatment is mixed with treated wastewater. Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Reported discharges per month

373 reported discharges, January 2022 to November 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2022 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per month

Hours when this water had a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported

172 discharge reports have no end time and are not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules they show caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and add no hours here.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Days with a reported discharge per month

A day counts when any counted discharge was under way on it, from its start to its reported end in Eastern Time; a report with no end counts its start day.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2022 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges per year, 2001 to 2026

2,560 reported discharges, 2001 to 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Reported volume per year

Gallons (axis: K thousand, M million), summed from the 2,379 reports that gave a volume as a number (181 did not).

181 of 2,560 discharge reports gave no volume as a number; only numbers are summed.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per year

Hours with a discharge or advisory status each year under DirtyWaterWatch rules; 2026 to date.

  • Discharge or advisory reported

172 discharge reports have no end time and are not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules they show caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and add no hours here.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Share of the May to October season with a discharge or advisory status

Share of the hours from May 1 to October 31 with a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported

172 discharge reports have no end time and are not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules they show caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and add no hours here.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by calendar month, all years

Every counted discharge report, by the calendar month it began.

Months are summed over every year a tracked source covers; the table gives the number of years behind each month.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by wastewater outlet

Wastewater outlets with the most tracked discharge records: 10 of 49, all years. Counts depend on reporting coverage and do not measure legal compliance or harm.

Source: mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list. Records cover January 1, 2001 to November 4, 2026.

Show table
How these charts are counted

We count each discharge once. Where a source publishes notices and confirmed reports, we use confirmed reports for an operator's month when available; otherwise we use notices. We combine revisions and exclude duplicate state reports copied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and yearly totals appear separately. Status hours follow this site's rules. Shaded gaps mean missing coverage, not zero discharges.

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sewer overflow records: records from May 3, 2022 to the latest update (limited records)
  • mi-egle-mienviro-cso-sso-list: records from January 1, 2001 to the latest update

Reports linked to Red Cedar River

Reports linked to Red Cedar River, newest first
WhenReportStatus
City of Lansing · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 14, 10:30 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 14, 10:15 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume in each report mapto Nov 14, 10:00 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume in each report mapto Nov 14, 7:00 PM
City of Lansing · CSO · volume not reported report · notice · mapto Nov 14, 9:00 AM
to 5:30 PMCity of Lansing · 032 Wilson Street at Herbert Street · CSO · 171,000 gallons in all mapended
to 1:30 PMCity of Lansing · 032 Wilson Street at Herbert Street · CSO · 433,000 gallons in all mapended
to 12:30 PMCity of Lansing · 032 Wilson Street at Herbert Street · CSO · 71,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 10:30 AMCity of Lansing · 026 Hazel Street at Pennsylvania Avenue · CSO · 156,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 12:30 PMCity of Lansing · 032 Wilson Street at Herbert Street · CSO · 1.87 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 5:30 PMCity of Lansing · 032 Wilson Street at Herbert Street · CSO · 1.88 million gallons in all mapended

Download these reports as CSV

Showing the latest 25 records of 2,666 records.See them all with filters.

All reports in Michigan by year: 2026 (80 here) · 2025 (53 here) · 2024 (78 here) · 2023 (81 here) · 2022 (77 here) · 2021 (71 here) · 2020 (86 here) · 2019 (97 here) · 2018 (76 here) · 2017 (87 here) · 2016 (104 here) · 2015 (84 here) · 2014 (94 here) · 2013 (107 here) · 2012 (100 here) · 2011 (97 here) · 2010 (78 here) · 2009 (86 here) · 2008 (77 here) · 2007 (90 here) · 2006 (171 here) · 2005 (150 here) · 2004 (123 here) · 2003 (149 here) · 2002 (133 here) · 2001 (237 here)

Wastewater outlets on this water

No wastewater outlet in our records is linked to this water.

Sewer operators listed for this water: City of East Lansing, City of Lansing, City of Williamston, Handy Township, Village of Fowlerville.

Boat launches

Source: OpenBoatLaunch launch records (public agency data and OpenStreetMap, Open Database License). · Red Cedar River on OpenBoatLaunch

Nearby waters

Sources covering this water

2,554 records linked to this water, besides 112 earlier versions or duplicates. Updated .