County of Macomb issued the following announcement on Feb. 25.
The Macomb County Public Works Office has won the Michigan Association of County Drain Commissioners’ Innovation and Excellence Award for the green infrastructure retrofit of the Sterling Relief Drain.
The Sterling Relief Drain, which stretches from west of Ryan Road to east of Schoenherr Road, south of Metropolitan Parkway, was built in the 1960s and drains the storm water from 20% of Sterling Heights. It outlets to the Red Run Drain to the east, and the flow reaches the Clinton River and eventually Lake St. Clair.
Under the grant-funded project, portions of buried pipe were “daylighted” to expose the storm water flow in the open channel, and planted native species that act as a sponge by soaking up harmful nutrients and sediment from the flow before it reaches the Red Run Drain.
“It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers, but what’s much more important is the lasting benefits this significant project provides in terms of improving water quality and the environment,” Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller said.
Last fall, the Sterling Relief Drain green infrastructure project was awarded Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association, Michigan Chapter, in the Quality of Life/$1 million to $5 million category.
To achieve the project’s goal of improving water quality, two miles of the open channel were redesigned and retrofitted by daylighting two lateral storm drains and removing a 300-foot stretch of pipe to make it appear more like an intermittent stream.
Also, approximately 135,000 native perennial plant plugs were planted on the slope and bottom of the open channel including native pollinator plants to create a 2.5-mile-long butterfly flyway. Additionally, more than 1,000 shrubs were planted in the bio-retention areas. Hundreds of 1- to 2-inch caliper native species trees were planted to establish a tree canopy.
The improvements have resulted in the removal of more than 233,000 pounds of suspended solids, over 600 pounds of phosphorus and almost 3,500 pounds of nitrogen.
“Our staff and consultants, including engineering firm Hubbell, Roth & Clark and contractor T.R. Pieprzak Company, did a tremendous job and this latest award reaffirms that,” Miller said.
The project was funded by grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.
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