Greenscaping the Shores of Lake St. Clair

The greenscaping project is a common-sense solution to stormwater pollution that residents of the area have been concerned about for years. The lot will be torn up, repaved, and dotted with retention ponds and greenery. The ponds and vegetation islands will collect the rainwater as it falls and naturally filter out the contaminants before the water flows back into Lake St. Clair.

The Lake St. Clair Metropark project is a great starting point for further green infrastructure development in Macomb County. Officials should take note of the environmental and public health benefits that will come from the Metropark project and make efforts to implement similar solutions throughout local communities. For instance, much of the water that flows into drainage systems during large storms and snowmelts ends up contaminating our waterways. This is because when large amounts of water mix with sewage in the drains they become too full and overflow directly into our rivers and lakes. Greenscaping helps to catch and filter the stormwater as it falls better than traditional infrastructure and keeps drainage systems from overflowing. Planting rain gardens along roads and installing green roofs and rain barrels to catch runoff from rooftops will also help keep contaminants out of Lake St. Clair.

By utilizing green infrastructure solutions we can have more efficient drainage systems in our neighborhoods and cleaner rivers and lakes. For more information about how stormwater pollution and how you can get involved visit our Clean Water Action-Lake St. Clair Facebook page.

Stephen Riccardi

Energy Program Intern