FAQs
How is this project being funded?
The project is being funded by costs apportioned to the jurisdictions within the drainage district, as determined by the Montgomery Drain Drainage District Board. The percentages and approximate costs are as follows:
The City of Lansing is planning to pay for its apportionment with a city-wide drain tax (.26 mills = approximately 50%) and an assessment to the benefitted property owners (approximately 50%).
Additional sources of funding come from The SAW Grant (EGLE's Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater Grant) and The MDNR Grant (Michigan Department of Natural Resources Grant).
What areas will be impacted by this project?
When completed, the Montgomery Drain project will impact the three county region of Ingham, Livingston and Shiawassee. This 51-mile long river has a watershed that is approximately 461 square miles and empties into the Grand River.
The drain district is approximately bounded by:
North - a line approximately 1/4 north of Grand River Avenue
South - the Red Cedar River
East - slightly east of Coolidge Road and Ranney Park
West - a small section of the Groesbeck Neighborhood
Included in the district is the commercial area commonly referred to as Frandor.
What is the purpose of this project?
The Drain Commissioner has added features that treat the stormwater prior to discharge to the Red Cedar River. The purpose of the project is to perform necessary maintenance on the stormwater system and add further capacity to transport and treat stormwater runoff from the district.
Why are you doing this project?
The Montgomery Drain Drainage District infrastructure is in poor condition.
The Montgomery Drain was inspected and inventoried using techniques such as surveying, pipe televising, manhole scanning, pipe defect assessment, manhole defect assessment, smoke testing, dye testing, illicit discharge research, flow metering, and automated sampling. The inspections revealed cracked and collapsed pipes, debris buildup, illicit connections, and parts of the system that had reached the end of their useful lives. Additionally, the inspections identified existing infrastructure that could be rehabilitated or repurposed as part of the project. These efforts found that 39% is in fair condition, and 57% is in poor condition.
Insufficient stormwater capacity is a problem within the current Montgomery Drain Drainage District.
The Montgomery Drain lacks capacity to adequately store and convey stormwater through the system. In its current condition, the Montgomery Drain Drainage District does not have stormwater storage and 52% of the pipes are now too small to convey the 10-year design event. Land use changes and increases in both the volume and intensity of precipitation events have also caused the Montgomery Drain to no longer have enough capacity to operate efficiently. The insufficient capacity is evidenced by localized flooding, surcharged pipes, and increased stormwater velocities. Further, advancements in design standards and rainfall data collection support the conclusion that the Montgomery Drain Drainage District requires additional capacity to manage the stormwater in the Service Area.
Contamination of the Montgomery Drain Drainage District.
Within the existing Service Area, the Montgomery Drain Drainage District, 80% of the current land cover is impervious—meaning covered with pavement, concrete, rooftops, etc.—which leads to the direct runoff of stormwater into the Montgomery Drain. This direct runoff causes an increase in nonpoint source pollution and introduces metals, salts, hydrocarbons, solids, bacteria, nutrients, and other contaminants into the stormwater, which ultimately discharges into the Red Cedar River through the Montgomery Drain.
Studies performed by Triterra and Spicer Group, Inc. independently show that contamination exceeds mandated state and federal water quality criteria. The high level of contamination is a major contributor to the impairment of the Red Cedar River. Based on two years of sampling data, it is estimated that 50,000-75,000 pounds of contamination are conveyed through the Montgomery Drain into the Red Cedar River annually.