The  Southeast Michigan Council of Governments  (SEMCOG) and  Center for Watershed Protection  (CWP) were awarded a Michigan Coastal Management Grant to assess locations to build coastal resilience in Southeast Michigan. Through this grant, the project team coordinated with communities to identify high-priority, publicly-owned properties and assess feasibility for green infrastructure.

Southeast Michigan has an extensive coast, spanning 400 miles of Great Lakes shoreline from Lake Huron to Lake Erie connected by the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. It is shared by four coastal counties (St Clair, Macomb, Wayne, and Monroe) and 37 coastal communities.

These coastal areas must be resilient to fluctuating water levels in the Great Lakes, changing rainfall patterns, stormwater runoff, and other shoreline challenges. Developing resilient solutions, especially within coastal communities, is a local and regional priority to ensure that communities can withstand and recover from extreme weather events. The implementation of nature-based solutions like green infrastructure is key to enhancing coastal resilience.

After field assessments of nearly 80 sites, this project identified 48 feasible green infrastructure projects within Southeast Michigan’s coastal communities. These plans represent over $20M in projects covering a drainage area of approximately 60 acres and 2 miles of shoreline restoration.

The primary solutions for the sites identified in this project include shoreline softening, bioretention, permeable pavement, and rain gardens. Collectively, these projects could have a significant impact on regional stormwater management, in addition to providing a variety of ecosystem services. The cumulative impact of these projects will make a difference at the regional scale. Investments are needed from the local, state, and federal level, to make these projects a reality.

See our StoryMap at the link below to view the site maps and concept plans for each project:

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/158c4508491b4576a2e95416fa3f1a2a