DETROIT -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, will receive an additional $1.2 million to continue studying flooding risks in Southeast Michigan, under the Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan.
The Corps of Engineers and sponsor Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) are partnered on the Southeast Michigan Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study to investigate comprehensive flood risks to the region from heavy rainfall and fluctuating Great Lakes water levels. The Metro Detroit area has had five federal disaster declarations due to flooding since 2000.
“This funding allows us to continue on schedule with this critical work to investigate flooding in the region impacting nearly half a million homes,” said Detroit District Commander Lt. Col. Wallace Bandeff. “We thank our elected officials for their continued support and faith in our engineering expertise.”
The comprehensive study looks at the Clinton River, Lake St. Clair, Rouge River and Detroit River watersheds, as well as GLWA’s separated and combined sewer service area within Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties.
“This is an unprecedented study in our state which will allow us to focus on comprehensive solutions to help our region build flood resiliency and protect the communities we serve,” said GLWA Chief Resiliency Officer Todd King. “We are thankful for our partnership with the Corps of Engineers and we appreciate our elected officials for their strong support of this important work.”
Congressionally authorized in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act, the “mega study” uses the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers authority to manage flood risks in urban areas. The project has successfully completed the initial scoping and outreach activities with partners, stakeholders and the public. USACE and GLWA are committed to continued community outreach to seek stakeholder input throughout the study.
The additional Fiscal Year 2025 funding will be used to complete watershed and sewer modeling, as well as analyze potential mitigation measures for flooding.
The study is expected to cost approximately $10.5 million and conclude in 2032 with a Corps of Engineers Chief’s Report of flood risk management proposals, which will be delivered to Congress.
Visit the Southeast Michigan Flood Study webpage and subscribe for updates: https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/semifloodstudy/
The Detroit District received $558.9 million in Fiscal Year 25 Work Plan investment. For more about the projects funded, visit https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/News/News-Releases/Display/Article/4188026/detroit-district-receives-5589-million-investment-from-fy25-work-plan/
Corps of Engineers’ Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan can be found here: https://www.usace.army.mil/missions/civil-works/budget/#Work-Plans.
Contact Detroit District Public Affairs at lrepao@usace.army.mil.