The Charter Township of Genoa, in south central Michigan, oversees water and sewer operations for a complex network of small utilities. By the mid-2000s, the utilities were in some disarray. The area, between Detroit and Lansing, has become one of the fastest-growing regions of Michigan. Utility operations were outsourced, and the only oversight was a monthly meeting of the township board with the contractor. The utilities comprising the entity known as the Genoa Project include one water authority for the townships of Marion, Howell, Osceola and Genoa, and three sewer systems: the Genoa-Osceola system, and two that are part of
