Solutions Proposed to Reduce Ypsilanti Flooding, But They’ll Come at a Major Cost
A recent study of two drainage districts in Ypsilanti has identified solutions to reducing severe flooding, but those solutions will come at a high cost to implement.
The study stems from an August 2023 storm that tore through Washtenaw County and caused severe flooding and sewer backups for two Ypsilanti-area neighborhoods. After assessing the drainage districts of the Willow Run Neighborhood and the Beyer Relief District, officials believe the solutions involve storing more stormwater through additional basins and upsizing pipes, based on an analysis by environmental engineering consultant Brandon Ellefson.
According to an MLive report, the estimated costs for the improvements in these areas, a combined 1,350 acres, are between $14 million and $22 combined.
The environmental engineering study revealed several underlying causes of the flooding problems: poorly sized pipes, geographic low points, the increasing severity of storms, clogged structures, and inadequate sewer and stormwater systems. Experts say that climate change is contributing to more powerful, damaging storms like the 500-year storm in August 2023 that dumped more than 3 inches of rain in only three hours.
Now that the study has been completed, Ypsilanti officials can use the findings to identify and apply for funding and grant opportunities, Ellefson said.
While recent maintenance efforts have improved drainage systems, many of the designs date back to the 1950s and are outdated by contemporary standards. MLive stated that a majority Black neighborhood and residents among some of the lowest opportunity indexes in the county make up the two severely affected drainage districts identified by the study.
Ellefson said that the West Willow neighborhood has no stormwater basins. Stormwater basins in the 1,000-acre Byer Relief District could include a 4 1/2-acre near South Ford Boulevard and Russel Street and a 4.7-acre site off South Harris Road and Davis Street.
“No improvements would eliminate flooding completely. The goal is to keep the flooding depth in the road below 6 inches in the event of a 100-year storm, which has a 1% chance of happening every year, and manage a 10-year event, which has a 10% chance, within the pipes,” according to MLive.
