DirtyWaterWatch Public waters. Public record.

Michigan / Waters /

St. Joseph River

River in Michigan, past Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Fair Plain, Mendon, Niles, Oxbow, Saint Joseph and Three Rivers

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

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 Litchfield'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). 2.6 in of rain fell in the 24 hours to Nov 4, 2026, 7:00 PM EST at NILES WWTP'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

Estimated downstream stretches on St. Joseph River

none from a report; 1 route below outlets with a status

No stretch below a reported discharge has a current status here as of Nov 4, 2026, 8:25 PM EST. The routes below wastewater outlets carry the status shown on each.

Estimated routes below wastewater outlets

1 route below outlets
  • Caution Permit MI0023701, outlet 007 · 23.429 kilometres estimated · Estimate stops at a lake or bay

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 NILES WWTP

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 St. Joseph River in Michigan, last 12 months0December 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 St. Joseph River in Michigan, last 12 months0December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status on the St. Joseph River in Michigan, last 12 months0December 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 St. Joseph River in Michigan0.0%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 St. Joseph River in Michigan1Reported on the St. Joseph River: 0 · Arriving from outfalls upstream on the Saint Joseph River, NILES WWTP, estimated: 0 · Other records (rain-likely and similar): 1last 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.

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

2 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.

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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

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

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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.

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Reported discharges per year, 2001 to 2026

19 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.

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Reported volume per year

Gallons (axis: K thousand, M million), summed from the 19 reports that gave a volume as a number.

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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.

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Reported discharges by wastewater outlet

Wastewater outlets with the most tracked discharge records: 3 of 3, 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.

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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 St. Joseph River

Reports linked to St. Joseph River, newest first
WhenReportStatus
to 4:10 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Plant retention basin 002 outfall · CSO · 8 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 3:00 PMHillsdale Board of Public Utilities · 001 Normal plant outfall · Bypass · 400,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Aug 16 ’16, 6:15 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 12.05 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 5:30 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 570,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Mar 17 ’09, 11:59 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 83.4 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Sep 18 ’08, 4:50 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 33.65 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Feb 20 ’08, 7:35 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 14.3 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Feb 10 ’08, 6:40 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 28.7 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jan 15 ’08, 11:59 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 89.5 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 7:50 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 1.18 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 9:00 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 900,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 9:30 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 1.3 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 8:10 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 2.8 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 6:18 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 1.18 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 3:45 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 4.39 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 4:00 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 1.11 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 9:20 PMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 2.52 million gallons report · notice · mapended
to 11:15 AMNILES WWTP · 002 Retention Basin - WWTP · CSO · 4.7 million gallons report · notice · mapended

Sources: EGLE MiEnviro CSO/SSO List, retrieved 2026-11-04 15:09 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Download these reports as CSV

All reports in Michigan by year: 2023 (2 here) · 2016 (1 here) · 2010 (1 here) · 2009 (1 here) · 2008 (4 here) · 2007 (1 here) · 2006 (1 here) · 2005 (1 here) · 2004 (2 here) · 2003 (1 here) · 2002 (3 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 Litchfield, City of Three Rivers, Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities, NILES WWTP, Village of Berrien Springs, Village of Colon, Village of Tekonsha.

Boat launches

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

Nearby waters

Sources covering this water

18 records linked to this water. Updated .