As the two-year mark of the June 2021 rain event approaches, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) announced that 92 Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) parcels will be transformed into 24 bioretention gardens to reduce street flooding and basement backups in the Brightmoor neighborhood. The new stormwater projects, to be constructed by the end of 2024, will also reduce combined sewer overflows which creates more capacity in the city’s sewer system for rain events.
During the community engagement meetings, Brightmoor and Minock Park residents will be able to hear about the project and share their preferences for the types of trees, plantings and other features. DWSD will maintain the parcels under its Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) program. The department has 19 other existing GSI projects.
The Fenkell Stormwater Projects will also remove a portion of Blackstone between Keeler and Midland streets to create an area to reduce flooding and basement backups, which alone will manage more than 2 million gallons of stormwater annually. Property owners signed on to support this effort and a community meeting was held in February 2023. The partial street vacation is pending City Council approval.
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