Twenty-three projects awarded under the EGLE State High Water Infrastructure Grant Program

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Twenty-three projects awarded under the EGLE State High Water Infrastructure Grant Program

Twenty-three communities will receive grant funding for projects that addresses flooding, coastline erosion, urban heat, and storm water management through the State High Water Infrastructure (SHWI) grant program administered through the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).  This one-time funding opportunity was authorized by the Michigan Legislature under Section 1006 of PA 87 of 2021.

A total of $14.3M of grants were awarded for planning and construction that directly addresses impacts and vulnerabilities presented by severe weather events.  Selected projects will focus on habitat restoration, nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, relocation/protection of critical infrastructure, and resilience planning.  EGLE announces the following grant awards:

• Benton Harbor City, Berrien County, $314,500 - The city will develop an overall phased concept plan and Phase 1 engineering design to address flooding of the Riverview Drive corridor adjacent to the St. Joseph River.  Using nature-based practices, the plan will create a sustainable waterfront while enhancing redevelopment and public use opportunities.
• City of St. Joseph, Berrien County, $114,800 - The city will conduct an alternatives analysis and engineering design to address roadway flooding of Anchors Way.  Anchors Way provides the sole access route to the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant, which serves approximately 57,000 people.
• Village of Marcellus, Cass County, $427,952 - The village will design and implement roadway narrowing and stormwater management practices to alleviate roadway flooding in downtown Marcellus.  In the innovative road diet approach, the road will be narrowed to allow for green infrastructure installations.
• Cheboygan County Road Commission, Cheboygan County, $400,000 - The county will design and construct a new appropriately sized culverts at Paradise Lake Road over Mud Creek. The three existing culverts are failing and undersized, reducing hydraulic conductivity and increasing sedimentation.  Restoring the river width and providing a natural bottom will provide both water quality and habitat benefits.
• City of Petosky, Emmet County, $800,000 - The city will develop a plan to rebuild the Little Traverse Wheelway to stabilize a mile long section of a 120-foot-high coastal bluff along the Little Traverse Bay.  Multiple slope failures have washed out the trailway and threaten US Highway 31.  Alternative designs may include cobble beach as natural shoreline protection to minimize lakebed impacts while enhancing and preserving sensitive aquatic habitat.
• City of East Lansing, Ingham County, $600,000 - The city will develop a comprehensive stormwater resiliency plan to address urban stormwater management, flooding, and changing climate conditions.
• Kalkaska County Road Commission, Kalkaska County, $960,000 - The county will design and construct two new appropriately sized and aligned structures at Underhill Road over the Rapid River.  The two existing bridges are structurally deficient and undersized, reducing hydraulic conductivity and increasing sedimentation.  Restoring the river width and providing a natural bottom will provide both water quality and habitat benefits.
• City of Grand Rapids, Kent County, $329,000 - The city will update and expand a comprehensive stormwater resiliency plan to address urban stormwater management and changing climate conditions.
• Keweenaw County Road Commission, Keweenaw County, $75,000 - The county will conduct an alternatives analysis and engineering design to relocate and/or stabilize the Gay-Lac La Belle Road within the Bete Grise Preserve.  Around one mile of roadway is at high risk of closure due to ongoing erosion of the adjacent Lake Superior coastal bluff.  Alternatives may include slope vegetation and road relocation in combination with slope stabilization for a resilient, permanent plan.
• City of St. Clair Shores, Macomb County, $83,158 - The city will develop a resiliency plan that addresses climate change and green infrastructure for stormwater management.  The city will integrate the plan with Master Plan, Capital Improvement Plan, and Parks and Recreation Plan updates.
• Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, Macomb County, $1,500,000 - The authority will design and implement Phase 3 of a stormwater runoff and urban heat project at Lake St. Clair Metropark’s main parking lot, directly benefitting Black Creek and Lake St. Clair.  The project will remove approximately 2.2 acres of pavement and utilize several green infrastructure practices including a linear stormwater wetland with over 71,00 cubic feet of storage volume, 37 vegetated parking spots, and 55 native trees.
• Macomb County Public Works Commissioner’s Office on behalf of the Inter-County Drain Board, Macomb County, $1,500,000 - The county will design and construct a habitat restoration project in the Clinton River Spillway, that also addresses flood management and improves bank stability.  The project will stabilize approximately 2,000 feet of shoreline bank, create approximately two acres of wetland, and provide updated flood management approaches considering climate change impacts.
• City of Ludington, Mason County, $456,000 - The city will design to install a shoreland structure to protect the city’s Water Treatment Plant from erosion while undertaking a long-term asset planning analysis that considers alternatives to traditionally hardening the shorelands and disrupting the natural coastal processes for sediment replenishment of beaches.
• City of Pontiac, Oakland County, $1,500,000 - The city will clean, and video inspect the city’s storm drain system.  Cleaning will allow for the full transport capacity of the storm sewer, reducing neighborhood flooding due to sedimentation.  Inspections will serve as the basis for a capital improvement plan to address needed repairs.
• City of Ferrysburg, Ottawa County, $47,950 - The city will design and implement natural and nature-based shoreline improvements to address shoreline erosion at the Kitchel Lindquist Hartger Dunes Preserve on the Grand River.  The project will remove 100 feet of broken concrete along the shoreline and install sloped stone, native plants, and submerged shoreline woody structures.
• Port Sheldon Township, Ottawa County, $21,822.58 - The county will restore an area of Critical Dunes with native dune grass planting and fencing at Kouw Park on Lake Michigan.
• Saginaw Charter Township, Saginaw County, $1,200,000 - The township will design and implement flood protection and emergency management measures at the Saginaw Charter Township Wastewater Treatment Plant.  Past flood events from the Tittabawassee River have threatened plant operations by inhibiting access for staff, emergency vehicles, and deliveries.  The township will construct an elevated access road, install flood gate replacements and modifications, and install a natural gas generator.
• City of South Haven, Van Buren County, $41,920 - The city will conduct a shoreline analysis study of the city’s 2.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, to justify the establishment of a shoreline protection zoning ordinance that regulates the construction of permanent structures beyond a fixed setback line.
• South Haven Water Sewer Authority, Van Buren County, $1,500,000 - The authority will design and implement a suite of flood protection measures for South Haven’s Wastewater Treatment Plant to address excessive flooding caused by extreme rain events, cyclical high water on Lake Michigan and the Black River; storm events have caused damage and operational difficulties.  Improvements include raising the existing concrete curbs and gutters, construction of an earthen berm, installation of a storm sewer, and construction of a stormwater force main and pump station.
• Dearborn Heights, Wayne County, $306,825 - The county will develop plans for funding ready solutions for stormwater management.  The scope combines a flood impact analysis for Ecorse Creek, a citywide stormwater Master Plan, green infrastructure evaluation and design, and cost benefit analysis.
• Detroit Water and Sewage Department, Wayne County, $480,000 - The county will design a three-part conceptual plan to address frequent combined sewer overflows in Detroit’s lower east side neighborhoods of East English Village, Morningside, Fox Creek, and Jefferson North.  The conceptual plan will include partial sewer separation mapping, a stormwater treatment wetlands park facility north of Jeffersons Chalmers Business District, and the restoration of Fox Creek through baseflow introduction.
• City of Highland Park, Wayne County, $1,500,000 - The city will undertake multiple citywide efforts to mitigate urban stormwater impacts.  The city will conduct a stormwater feasibility study and then design and implement two stormwater infrastructure projects identified through the study.  Additionally, the city will adopt a stormwater ordinance and undertake citywide tree planting.
• City of Taylor, Wayne County, $120,000 - The city will design for flood mitigation options to address significant neighborhood flooding along the Snow Drain.  The city will conduct stormwater modeling to inform an alternatives analysis and identify preferred flood mitigation alternatives intended to reduce the frequency and magnitude of future flooding events.

For any questions on the SHWI grant awards, please contact Ronda Wuycheck, EGLE, Water Resources Division, at 517-420-5921 or WuycheckR@Michigan.gov.