Crews in Midland are expected to begin clearing log jams and fallen trees from several local waterways on Monday, Oct. 19, as part of a city effort to reduce flooding by restoring the stream system's capacity to move water. The work targets segments of State Drain, Lingle Drain and Siebert Drain, with the broader project also covering portions of Gilbert Drain and Sturgeon Creek.
The project, known as the Woody Debris Management Project, aims to eliminate flow obstructions and restore the hydraulic capacity of Midland's streams, according to the Huron Daily Tribune. Crews will remove both manmade and natural debris, including log jams that restrict water flow, while preserving beneficial woody material that provides habitat and supports stream health, per the same report. The City of Midland Water Reclamation Department, the Midland County Drain Commissioner, and Spicer Group have all partnered on the project.
The Water Reclamation Department has separately described survey and engineering work tied to the city's broader flood-resiliency push. According to the City of Midland, the department is partnering with Spicer Group to conduct those reviews along portions of State Drain, Gilbert Drain, Lingle Drain, Snake Creek and Sturgeon Creek. The city's list of waterways in that survey effort does not exactly match the drains and creeks named in the debris-removal project itself, and available records do not resolve the discrepancy.
What Crews Will and Won't Cut Down
Contractors will remove dead, leaning and fallen trees found in the channel and in a designated construction access lane, along with trees that need to come down to reach the drains, the Huron Daily Tribune reports. Where possible, crews will retain live, healthy trees within the proposed project limits, according to the same report.
How the Project Is Being Paid For
The cleanup is tied to federal disaster recovery dollars that flowed through Michigan after a string of severe storms. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated $59,898,000 in long-term recovery funds to Michigan for 2020 storm damage through its Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program, according to MiPlace. Statewide, HUD has allocated more than $115.4 million in long-term recovery funds to Michigan tied to severe storms and flooding in 2020, 2021 and 2023, per the same source, which also notes that at least 15% of CDBG-DR funds must go toward mitigation projects like flood control.
The Michigan Strategic Fund oversees those recovery funds, while the Michigan Economic Development Corporation administers them, per the Huron Daily Tribune. The funding is awarded through competitive application rounds covering infrastructure, housing and planning projects. The City of Midland submitted six infrastructure projects in 2023, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation selected two of them, including the Woody Debris Management Project, the outlet reports.
A 2023 city funding document requested $2,865,000 in CDBG-DR funds specifically for woody debris management along the State Drain, Sturgeon Creek and Snake Creek, according to city records. It is not clear from available documentation whether that full amount was ultimately awarded or spent. Midland City Council minutes from a more recent meeting reference the CDBG-DR-funded Woody Debris Management Project alongside a related public hearing, noting that the hearing opened at 7:14 p.m. and closed a minute later after no public comment was received, according to meeting records.
A Broader Pattern of Debris Work in Michigan
Midland's effort echoes other debris-management work happening around the state. In northern Michigan, Department of Natural Resources staff and contractors have been manually removing woody and other unanchored debris from the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to keep water flowing, according to a statement from Michigan.gov. In southeast Michigan, two Oakland County entities have been working to establish a regional Disaster Debris Management Plan to prepare for future disaster events, per a separate Michigan.gov release.
Residents with questions about the Midland project can reach the City of Midland Water Reclamation Department at 989-837-3500, according to the Huron Daily Tribune.
