Army Corps of Engineers to Help GLWA with Regional Flood Mitigation

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to study flooding problems across southeast Michigan and formulate alternatives to help reduce flood risk.

At the study’s end, a tentatively selected plan will be presented for consideration of further federal and non-federal funding to improve infrastructure and flood resiliency across the region.

GLWA’s regional wastewater system serves approximately 2.8 million residents in southeast Michigan, including portions of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, and the entire city of Detroit.

“While we have made significant investments to improve resiliency in the GLWA collection and conveyance system over the last several years, our partnership with the USACE will help us take another big step to improve the system by developing a long-term strategy for the entire region,” says Suzanne R. Coffey, CEO of GLWA.

The flood mitigation study has received initial funding of $500,000 in Congressionally approved allocations for fiscal year 2024 with second year funding of $600,000 pending Congressional approval for fiscal year 2025.

GLWA will be providing a 50/50 match with in-kind-services to complete the study. USACE and GLWA will co-lead the study inside USACE’s established framework.

The study officially began with a ceremonial signing of the agreement and the completion of a three-day technical period of design and planning activity attended by more than 50 people from a cross-section of key stakeholder groups.

During the meeting, existing flood risk conditions in southeast Michigan were established, priorities for the region were discussed, a deep dive was taken into existing data, and a preliminary list of structural and non-structural flood management measures designed to alleviate flooding were identified, according to GLWA.

USACE has helped mitigate flood impacts on communities for nearly 100 years, looking at the risks associated with potential flooding, informed by both previous storms and flood events, while also analyzing climate change scenarios through modeling and forecasting future potential storm events.

The assessments help communities better understand the loss of life and other damages that could result from flooding, and how to potentially reduce a community’s vulnerability through the development and communication of knowledge, technology, and solutions.

“USACE is excited to move forward on this important study for southeast Michigan. GLWA has been an outstanding partner, and we are confident in the team’s ability to find viable solutions to help address the historic flooding across the region,” says Alex Jimenez, chief of planning for the USACE Detroit District. “In 2022, Congress expanded USACE’s authority to study rainfall-driven flooding, so the study will be groundbreaking not only for the region, but also for USACE.”

GLWA System Resiliency Officer Todd King says, “This study is unprecedented in the state of Michigan, and it will equip us with data that will help us better advocate for the region when it comes to accessing federal dollars. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to partner with the highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals at the USACE to develop comprehensive solutions that will help the region build flood resiliency and protect the communities we serve.”

Throughout the course of the multi-year study, GLWA and USACE say they plan to conduct extensive community outreach to seek the input of a broad range of regional stakeholders, including the public.

“Addressing flooding in southeast Michigan is important to so many people in our region, given the damages and impacts communities have faced over the last decade,” says Susan Rusinowski, the study’s lead planner for USACE. “The USACE and GLWA team’s priority is to work alongside regional stakeholders and the community throughout the study process, seeking input from the people most affected by flood risk.”

For more information on GLWA, visit here.