Ottawa County Water Resources Commissioner

I don’t know about you, but I think that 2020 could just “flow downstream” and be done… so much has

happened in the last 5 months across our state, we all feel like waving our own white flag.

Writing anything that is super profound or something that you haven’t heard before, just isn’t going to

In our jobs, we all deal with drainage in some way, here are some reminders that we could all use.

D: Demonstrate leadership within your own county.

R: Recognize the capacity of the drain – what is it designed for? What is the area it is draining?

A: Assure that it is, or is not, the responsibility of the county to maintain.

I: Instruct the contractor to properly excavate and remove woody debris and sediment out of the drain.

N: Never underestimate the power of water flow.

A: Apply drain code when necessary and seek assistance if there is any misconceptions.

G: Gather information on drain prior to any work being done from county oce.

E: Educate constituents on the importance of good drainage.

In every part of our infrastructure throughout our state, there is a cost to repair and/or maintain.

continue to be safe, work hard, and rest. As President, I continue to encourage you to reach out in

any capacity that any of you may need – a piece of advice, a listening ear, whatever it may be, we are

family and we are here for one another.

Take care and be well,

Joe Bush

MACDC President

where she learned the intricacies and exactness

required for dealing with property descriptions.

job, Lynn has maintained working in the ultimate

service industry: waitressing at a local restaurant.

While drain oce administration and waitressing

do not have obvious overlaps, the commitment

to public service is paramount for both. Lynn

says, “I love working with people.” And it is that

stellar public service that Lynn is known for in

both settings. She is also an election worker for

her local township.

This year marks Lynn’s 20th anniversary at the

meanders between these properties, and in the

stormwater impoundment pond in a natural ravine.

This impoundment was called “Tyler Pond” and

provided water to fight fires for the factories. Tyler

Pond was fed by stormwater, and the water level

was controlled by the Tyler Dam. When the plants

closed, the Tyler Dam was passed to the Charter

Township of Ypsilanti. In 1995, the pond was the

target of a $75 million EPA Superfund clean-up

By: Erin Heitzenrater, Spicer Group, Inc.

considered ranging from a temporary drawdown

of the impoundment to the complete removal of

the dam. A downstream lake community strongly

opposed the dam removal due to the legacy of

started with an evaluation of area terrain only

to discover the challenge of deep ravines

separating the surrounding neighborhoods.

The preliminary engineering design developed

by Prein&Newhof demonstrated that the total

number of pump stations initially proposed

could feasibly be reduced from fourteen to

eight. A further recommendation implemented

a lagoon wastewater treatment facility rather

than a mechanical treatment plant to minimize

Boddy Construction, Dunigan Bros., and Pamar

Enterprises) agreed to sign adavits holding their

bids for the next eight months while the USDA

reviewed the project, completed their national

pooling of funds, found the dollars, and obligated

subsequent funding.

By the third week of July 2017, the USDA

approved the additional funding. As required by

Michigan law, a public meeting was scheduled

for property owners to object to their special

closing. The four contractors that held promise to

their bid amounts received Notices of Award for

the project on the day of the bond closing.

Worth Township obtained a $30.4 million loan

and an $8.9 million grant through the USDA

Water & Environmental Program, as well as an

additional $3.2 million grant from the MDEQ to

During the design phase, Township ocials

approved the purchase of seventy-two acres of

land for the new lagoon treatment facility. The

lagoons were constructed with a geo-synthetic

clay liner (GCL). A PVC liner on top of the GCL

underlays each pond. Twelve inches of sand

cover the PVC liner, and six inches of stone riprap

overlays the sand.

The lagoons consist of five ponds: the first two

submersible pumps. Seven of the pump stations

were duplexes (two pumps), while the largest

station was a triplex station (three pumps).

One of the more challenging aspects of getting a

drain project o the ground is acquiring easement

rights over the newly added or relocated route

and course of the drain that traverses over

private property. Unfortunately, there is no

certain conditions to be placed in the easement

That “might” turns into “will” when it comes to

constituents and expensive. It is tempting to save

money and time in the condemnation process

by taking short cuts, but these have led to

discharged. However, ignoring them and then

having to restart the condemnation process will

the record. It is also advisable, especially where

commercial property is involved, to investigate

whether there are any tenants. Even they are

“owners” under the UCPA. The process may

seem tedious, but it can save vast amounts

of money, time, and eort in the long run by

ensuring the condemnation process goes forward

By: Ryan Miller, GISP, Wightman

sta wear many hats while managing the

establishment, construction, and maintenance

of over 540 county drains and stormwater

management systems, 15 lake level control

structures, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control

(SESC) permitting, and a site plan development

review program. Thankfully, the Drain Oce

has a wealth of experience and knowledge at its

disposal. Joe Parman has spent 15 years as the

Van Buren County Drain Commissioner and leads

its agency when it came time to administer

assessments for drain projects. Wightman’s GIS

team created a drain assessment tool that, using

Drain Oce and County GIS data, provides a fast

and ecient way for sta to select a specific area

on a digital map, push a button, and (dispense/

create) an Excel spreadsheet that contains all

property information including owner, mailing

address, and parcel number. That spreadsheet

can be used to facilitate communications with

Drain Oce and County. They have their eyes