The Fix

The July 2011 storm prompted landowners within the district to file petitions with the Ingham County Drain Commissioner to provide solutions to these longstanding flooding problems. The Ingham County Drain Commissioner then worked with Delhi Charter Township to consolidate the seven drains and their drainage districts into the Green #4 Drainage District to provide a more effective solution to the flooding problems.

The Ingham County Drain Commissioner and the Township worked to inspect the stormwater management facilities and survey relevant features in 2011. The system was studied and conceptual plans were developed to determine a cost-effective solution to the problem and end the flooding issues.

Conventional solutions included upsizing all the pipe sizes within the district. The project team determined this was not a feasible option because preliminary estimates of cost showed that the project would have cost more than $10 million.

Ultimately, the final design is a mixture of conventional and low impact features. It involves installing about three miles of pipe along Burton, Adelpha, Phillips, Kathy Court, Auburn, Dean, and Richard Avenues north of Holt Road and constructing more than 110 infiltration swales to capture and collect stormwater runoff before ultimately discharging it into the new pipe network. The project will also include 165 drainage structures, six miles of street improvements,  and three acres of stormwater detention basin construction.

The Green #4 Consolidated Drain will divert water out of the drainage district, taking approximately one-quarter of the water out of the district and diverting it into the Diehl Consolidated Drain. This will relieve the currently overburdened system and reduce flooding.  Careful considerations were taken to ensure that the diversion would cause no negative impacts on the Diehl Consolidated Drain.

Earlier this year, more than 500 property owners in and around the district received letters informing them of this project. Construction is scheduled to begin in May and a tentative substantial completion date is set for October 15 of this year. Final completion is set for the Spring of 2015.