Integrating Nature-Based Solutions into a Stormwater Strategy for Southeast Michigan

[2024-2025]

This project investigates collaborative approaches to implementing large Nature-based Solutions (NbS) over gray infrastructure to address flooding mitigation and steward regional biodiversity, recreational opportunities, and community wellbeing in Southeast Michigan. Part of a two-year planning grant sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Coastal Resilience Fund, the initiative includes a robust multi-stakeholder engagement across the Clinton, Detroit, and Rouge River Watersheds, within the Great Lakes Water Authority service area. The project integrates a suite of tools, including financial assessments, complex infrastructure modeling, mapping, visualization, regional transect studies, and wildlife habitat assessment. It develops a data-informed method for NbS siting assessment, prototypical NbS approaches (stream daylighting, wetland creation, and riparian buffers), and co-production tools. The project is co-led by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and Taubman College, Wayne State University’s Healthy Urban Waters Program, Michigan State University, and the environmental engineering firm LimnoTech Inc.

[NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS]

Project collaborators include:

• Glen Daigger – University of Michigan, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Curt Wolf – University of Michigan, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Peter Adraiens – University of Michigan, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Carol Miller – Wayne State, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Lara Treemore Speares – Wayne State, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Dana Infante – Michigan State University, Agriculture & Natural Resources
• Justin Miller – Michigan State University, Agriculture & Natural Resources

Student research assistants include:

• Md Ehsan Alam – Master of Urban Design
• Chengdai Yang – Master of Architecture
• Richard Hua – Master of Architecture
• Gustav Rhode – Master of Engineering
• Nabilla Maharani – Master of Engineering