Alpena Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Huron Pines has partnered with the City of Alpena and engineering firm Drummond Carpenter, PLLC to explore options for green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) to help capture and filter runoff in the coastal community.

Stormwater carries pollutants like road salt, bacteria, sediment and motor oils from streets and hardened surfaces. Once they enter rivers and lakes, these contaminants can result in beach closures and degraded fish and wildlife habitat, all of which impacts recreation, tourism and the environmental health of a community. Potential infrastructure would use a combination of rain gardens, bioswales, planter boxes and other features—collectively referred to as green stormwater infrastructure—to capture and filter runoff before it reaches the Thunder Bay River and Lake Huron.

The storymap below gives an overview of Alpena and the Thunder Bay River Watershed, offers historical context, and explores solutions to stormwater with examples of green infrastructure. At the end of the storymap is a survey where you can offer input on proposed designs. You can also find the survey here. Your input will help Huron Pines and the City of Alpena in choosing designs for future projects.

Please complete the survey by Nov 18, 2022.

Funding support is provided by the Michigan Coastal Management Program, Water Resources Division, Department of the Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is part of the Lake Huron Forever initiative.