The Urban Collaboratory is working with the USEPA and the Great Lakes Water Authority to identify locally funded wastewater projects that have the potential to provide the 35% local match for additional GLLA cleanup efforts on the Rouge. Specific water quality benefits will need to be linked to local GLWA projects in order to justify match requirements. The benefit of these Federal dollars to the region could well exceed $100,000,000 if the critical local match can be secured.
The Rouge River is located in southeastern Michigan and was designated as an Area of Concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987. The boundaries include the main branch of the Rouge River, Upper Rouge River, Middle Rouge River, and Lower Rouge River. The Rouge River watershed drains 466 square miles into the Detroit River and encompasses 48 communities. The Rouge River watershed contains the oldest and most heavily populated and industrialized area in southeast Michigan. Over the years, sediment and water contamination from industrial development and discharge, combined and sanitary sewer overflows, and nonpoint source pollution have impacted sediment quality in the Rouge River.
The Great Lakes Legacy Act provides federal funding to accelerate contaminated sediment remediation in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The Legacy Act was authorized in 2002 with the first appropriation in 2004. The Act was reauthorized in 2008. In this unique Federal cleanup program, industry typically partners with USEPA to undertake sediment remediation and then subsequent habitat restoration activities in Areas of Concern. Through the Great Lakes Legacy Act, the EPA pays up to 65 percent of the approved project cost. A minimum of 35 percent of the approved project cost must come from a non-federal partner.
Since 2010, USEPA has been working under a Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) partnership to investigate, design, and clean up a 0.75-mile stretch of the Lower Rouge River Old Channel (LRROC). The LRROC is a highly industrialized federal navigation channel. The multi-year cleanup effort is to be conducted in two phases. The first phase, conducted in 2018 and 2019, included the installation of a sheet pile wall along 2,500 feet of the shoreline. The second phase, which is anticipated to re-start in 2023, will include dredging and capping of contaminated sediment on the river.
In this project, the Urban Collaboratory is working with the USEPA and the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) to identify locally funded wastewater projects that have the potential to provide the 35% local match for additional GLLA cleanup efforts on the Rouge. Specific water quality benefits will need to be linked to local GLWA projects in order to justify match requirements. The benefit of these Federal dollars to the region could well exceed $100,000,000 if the critical local match can be secured.
https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-aocs/rouge-river-aoc
USEPA
The Sensors in a Shoebox project focuses on empowering Detroit youth as agents of change for their city.
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Learn MoreThe MCFI will leverage research in water technology and work with stakeholders to translate research into practice, stimulate business growth and job creation.
Learn MoreRobots are anticipated to make the global construction industry safer and more attractive to workers, easing a worker shortage in the United States.
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Learn MoreThe city of Benton Harbor wishes to transform Ox Creek into a residential, recreational and commercial centerpiece linking important segments of the community.
Learn MoreThe goal of this project is to develop a data-driven asset management framework that quantifies risk in the water distribution network for southeast Michigan.
Learn MoreThe University of Michigan is developing a structural reliability framework to quantify the probability of failure of pipe segments throughout the GLWA system.
Learn MoreA PFAS treatment approach for groundwater using low-temperature plasma with a concentration phase
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Learn MoreMapping detailed geographies of digital access and exclusion across Detroit’s neighborhoods.
Learn MoreThe project aims to reduce energy use of vehicular travels by incentivizing individual travelers to adjust travel choices and driving behaviors.
Learn MoreUsing wireless sensors to monitor water quality and flow conditions and to control drains to Ox Creek in Benton Harbor.
Learn MoreA grassroots train-the-trainer program on how to install, operate and maintain faucet-mounted point-of-use filters to protect for lead in drinking water.
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Learn MoreLimiting the volume of stormwater in the Detroit system to prevent untreated sewage from being released into the Detroit and Rouge Rivers.
Learn MoreThe first in a series of health clinic prototypes that bring technology-enabled chronic health care monitoring to remote, underserved global populations.
Learn MoreImproving Benton Harbor’s aging water system using risk assessment and risk analysis techniques, as well as mobile sensors.
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Learn MoreInvestigating the use of cutting-edge molecular tools that characterize and optimize water quality process performance.
Learn MoreUsing wearable-based technology to help seniors stay mobile and age in place, while avoiding exposure to falls and environmental risks or hazards.
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Learn MoreSr. Advisor and Sr. Academic and Research Program Officer - University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability
Jon W. Allan is President and Founder of the Jon W. Allan Group, a private consultancy specializing in strategic insight for freshwater and the Great Lakes, energy and environmental policy and natural resource governance. The Group supports research, analytical insight, regulatory and legislative guidance, and environmental and natural resource management strategies. They focus on the intersection of ecological, economic, social and cultural value(s) of water and natural resources.
He retired in 2019 as the Director of the Office of the Great Lakes contributing his considerable experience in aquatic sciences and fisheries & wildlife to the office’s mission to protect, restore, and sustain the Great Lakes watershed. Prior to that position he served in a number of executive management positions at Consumers Energy in environmental and energy management, government and regulatory affairs, and strategy development. He has also worked in the non-profit sector in youth services, and in arts management at Michigan State University. He has taught courses in biology, ecology and environmental impact assessment at his alma mater, Michigan State and with other institutions. He holds an undergraduate degree in Fisheries and Wildlife, and a Masters in Zoology from MSU and completed considerable additional graduate work in Environmental Policy and Law.
With nearly four decades of experience he has professionally applied his understanding of ecological systems to a variety of pressing Great Lakes issues.
Jon’s research on wetlands, stream ecology, and water policy has been published in Canada and the U.S. Organizations and individuals rely on his expertise to lead or advise on strategy, environmental planning and policy across the region.
Jon advised during the Great Lakes Compact negotiations and co-chaired the State’s Water Use Advisory Council tasked with the state’s strategy and implementation of the Great Lakes Compact. He’s contributed his expertise in a range of roles with the State of Michigan, including with Michigan’s Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council, the Michigan Climate Action Council, and the Environmental Advisory Council for Michigan DEQ and the Blue-Ribbon Panel on Parks.
Jon chaired the Great Lakes Commission and the Executive Committee of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. He remains a member of the International Joint Commission’s Water Quality Board, chairs MSU’s Institute for Water Research Advisory Board, and serves on the Board of Governors at Cranbrook Institute of Science and chairs its Freshwater Forum and advises other projects and entities.
Jon grew up in northern Ohio close to Lake Erie during a time when many of our lakes and rivers were toxic. Jon has retained a keen interest in addressing Great Lakes and freshwater challenges.
+ Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) Restoration of the Rouge River
Co-Founder
Professor, Environmental and Water Resources
Dr. Daigger is currently Professor of Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan and President and Founder of One Water Solutions, LLC, a water engineering and innovation firm. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for CH2M HILL where he was employed for 35 years, as well as Professor and Chair of Environmental Systems Engineering at Clemson University. Actively engaged in the water profession through major projects, and as author or co-author of more than 100 technical papers, four books, and several technical manuals, he contributes to significantly advance practice within the water profession. He has advised many of the major cites of the world, including New York, Los Angles, San Francisco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Beijing, and is currently a member of the Asian Development Bank Water Advisory Group. Deeply involved in professional activities, he is currently co-Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation (WE&RF), and a Past President of the International Water Association (IWA). The recipient of numerous awards, including the Kappe, Freese, and Feng lectures and the Harrison Prescott Eddy, Morgan, and the Gascoigne Awards, he is a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a Distinguished Fellow of IWA, and a Fellow of the Water Environment Federation (WEF). A member of a number of professional societies, Dr. Daigger is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineers.
+ Optimizing Phosphorus Removal at Detroit’s Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)
+ Protecting Public Health with Improved Water Service
+ Use of Artificial Intelligence in Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRF)
Managing Director
Mr. Wolf serves as Managing Director of the University of Michigan’s Urban Collaboratory working to connect University of Michigan “smart city” research, community needs and funding opportunities to deploy impactful projects addressing targeted challenges that improve the livability of communities. Mr. Wolf brings a wealth of experience to the Collaboratory and has served in a number of senior management positions at large multinational consulting firms. In that capacity, he has directed a wide variety of technical disciplines, projects and programs providing consulting services to governments, corporations, foundations, institutions and non-profits at locations globally. Mr. Wolf is a Professional Engineer licensed in several states, and holds a BS in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Missouri at St. Louis.
+ State of Michigan Water Infrastructure Regional Planning
+ Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) Restoration of the Rouge River