Green Infrastructure Helps Stormwater Management in SE Michigan

Southeast Michigan faces a unique set of circumstances compared to other regions in the US. Located in the lower corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the area is home to half of the state’s population. It houses all or part of the 16 major watersheds that drain directly to Lake Huron, Lake Eirie, and Lake St Claire.

The large urban population in the area and the need to improve and protect the quality of its water sources highlight the critical need for the Southeast Michigan councils and communities to manage their stormwater properly and sustainably.

Recognizing the natural ability of green infrastructure to act as natural stormwater management systems and to complement grey infrastructure in managing stormwater runoff, specifically in reducing runoff volume and pollutant loading, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Program in 2013 to help accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (Green Infrastructure, 2016).

The 2016 report “Green Infrastructure Targeting in Southeast Michigan” presents the process for developing the framework for identifying and evaluating opportunities for implementing green infrastructure in Southeast Michigan.

This involved setting targets for green infrastructure—estimating the amount of GI necessary to improve local water quality—and focusing on achieving specific, measurable outcomes rather than just implementing green infrastructure projects for their own sake that can also be implemented in other Southeast Michigan watersheds.

The report says, “Creating more resilient systems will become increasingly important in the face of climate change. As more intense weather events or dwindling water supplies stress the performance of the nation’s water infrastructure, green infrastructure offers an approach to increase resiliency and adaptability.”

Southeast Michigan’s unique situation causes them to shift to green infrastructure

Residents in the Michigan watershed councils of Huron, Rouge, and Clinton are encouraged by their councils to capture more rain and stormwater and prevent contaminated water from entering their lakes and rivers. These councils are located in southeast Michigan’s three largest watersheds, almost entirely within the region.

Ric Lawson, a watershed planner at the Huron River Watershed Council and the programme’s manager, said the current stormwater infrastructure is inadequate to filter stormwater. Instead, their stormwater systems work—grates, curbs, and sewers—to channel stormwater that carries pollutants as quickly as possible from properties and impervious surfaces into nearby streams, degrading water quality and increasing the risk of floods.

The councils have initiated educational and supply programmes in green infrastructure that residents can implement at home to capture and collect some rain, slow stormwater runoff, and filter waste and pollutants from the rainwater runoff. 

In Huron, the Rain Catchers Collective initiative collaborates on regional projects to reduce stormwater runoff. Partner organizations are encouraging Southeast Michigan residents and communities to become Rain Catchers to protect the quality of their rivers and lakes through proven rain collection practices like installing rain gardens and rain barrels.

The Initiative also provides information and supplies to help residents apply these solutions in their homes. Rain barrels can cut water bills and allow residents to use rainwater on plants instead of expensive municipal water.

Ideally, a 100-square-foot rain garden can soak up the rain and fit nicely into an existing lawn. It is a garden of native shrubs, perennials, and flowers planted in a slight depression, generally formed on a natural slope. It is designed to temporarily hold and soak in rainwater runoff from roofs, driveways, patios, or lawns (Lawson, 2024).

Rain gardens effectively remove up to 90% of nutrients and chemicals and up to 80% of sediments from the rainwater runoff. Rain gardens allow 30% more water to soak into the ground than a conventional lawn, reducing flooding risk and environmental pollution (All About Rain, 2022).

The Friends of Rouge, an initiative of the Rouge council, encourages residents to make their lawns work for them and informs them of solutions they can apply at home to soak up and capture more rain (Get Your Lawn, 2024).

These include lawn practices such as mulching grass and leaves that improve the quality of their lawns while reducing maintenance and fertiliser costs, using tools like rain barrels, and introducing new ideas and solutions that help prevent water runoff while promoting a healthier and more resilient environment, such as establishing rain gardens (Mulch Leaves, 2013).

The Friends of Rouge initiative has a website that offers guidance and step-by-step design manuals on creating them in Michigan, allowing residents to pick one that suits their needs. Other solutions include mowing high, which can save on pesticides and fertilisers, installing underground rain barrels, and placing permeable pavers (DIY Garden, 2024).

The Clinton River Watershed Council provides information on how residents could receive rebates for installing green infrastructure. The RainSmart Rebates is a two-year residential pilot programme offering homeowners up to $2000 for implementing sustainable stormwater practices such as tree planting, rain barrel installation, or creating a rain garden on their property.

The website provides a step-by-step process for applying to participate in the programme, receiving the rebate, and maintaining their green infrastructure at home. Assistance is also available to those who cannot afford the upfront costs or physical demands of installing this green infrastructure (Rain Smart, 2024).

Cities worldwide experiencing increased extreme weather due to climate change can learn from these initiatives by Southeast Michigan councils to manage increasing stormwater runoff and reduce environmental pollution.