EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, 2016

EVENT: University of Michigan researchers and their project partners, community leaders, neighborhood residents and local students will gather to celebrate the transformation of vacant lots into four “bioretention gardens” designed to capture and soak up stormwater while beautifying Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood.

Each garden is expected to achieve an average annual stormwater volume reduction of 300,000 gallons and should help reduce street flooding during big storms. This pilot project shows how vacant properties can become green infrastructure that enhances neighborhood quality of life while improving water quality in the Detroit River and the Great Lakes.

Invited speakers:

• Gabe Leland, councilman, Detroit City Council
• Kenyetta Campbell, executive director, Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance
• Barb Matney, president, Warrendale Community Organization
• Palencia Mobley, deputy director and chief engineer, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department
• Kellie DuBay, environmental scientist/public outreach specialist, Tetra Tech
• Joan Nassauer, professor of landscape architecture, U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment
• Representatives of the Detroit Land Bank Authority

PLACE: Garden at 8287 Evergreen Road, Detroit.

PROJECT SPONSORS: U-M Water Center, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, and Detroit Land Bank Authority. Collaborators include the Warrendale Community Organization and the Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance.

CONTACTS: Elizabeth LaPorte, U-M Water Center, 734-647-6227, elzblap@umich.edu; Kellie DuBay, Tetra Tech, 216-861-2950 x4, kellie.dubay@tetratech.com; Craig Fahle, Detroit Land Bank Authority, 313-974-6869, cfahle@detroitlandbank.org; Linda Philson, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, 313-964-9576, linda.philson@detroitmi.gov

PARKING AND OTHER DETAILS: Park on Constance Street. The event will occur even in light rain.

WEB LINKS:

• U-M press release and video (from November 2015)
• U-M Water Center fact sheet (including high-resolution illustration of a bioretention garden)