Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

8. Project Description

Introduction and Overview of Proposed Project

The 2010 target for this metric is 5,000 acres. Implementation of this project will account for nearly 10% of this goal.

The Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration Project is within the Clinton River Area of Concern. Goal IX of the Clinton River Restoration Plan is the protection of high quality habitat and the restoration of degraded habitat.

Restoration criteria for six of the beneficial use impairments (BUIs) in the Clinton River AOC were developed and approved by the Clinton River Public Advisory Council (PAC) in 2008. The PAC received additional funding from the EPA – Great Lakes National Program Office (USEPA-GLNPO) to further refine its criteria for the fish and wildlife BUIs – including degraded fish and wildlife populations and loss of habitat. This project will make significant progress toward meeting the criteria established for restoring the “loss of fish and wildlife habitat” BUI.

Lake St. Clair is part of the connecting channel system between Lakes Huron and Erie and is the Great Lake’s most significant recreational fishery. The Lake St. Clair coastal wetlands are extremely significant Great Lakes habitat as they are the largest remaining coastal wetland community left on the American shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Lake St. Clair is a Great Lakes connecting water body, part of one of the largest freshwater deltas in North America. It is one of the top ten birding sites in Michigan, and a critical intersection of migratory bird flyways in the American interior (located at the crossroads on two major continental flyways, namely the Atlantic Flyway and the Mississippi Flyway). It is also the terminus of the Clinton River watershed, the receiving water body for the AOC.

Great Lakes marsh is considered to be the most productive natural system in the temperate zone and provides important habitat for a wide diversity of animal species including water fowl, shore birds, song birds, turtles, crayfish, snakes, frogs, insects, fish, and small mammals.

There are two major natural communities that form the coastal wetland complexes within the Lake St. Clair basin: 1) lake plain prairie, and 2) Great Lakes marsh. Both of these communities are very rare and considered to be globally imperiled.

Along with being listed as a high priority fish and wildlife habitat restoration project for delisting purposes, the 2008 Clinton River RAP listed restoration of wetlands and marsh, eradication of invasive phragmites, and restoration of lost and impaired hydrological connection between the watershed’s 1

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration wetlands and uplands, as actions that would address the degradation of wildlife habitat and loss of wildlife population BUIs. The overall project objective is to restore and reconnect nearly 500 acres of coastal wetlands in the vicinity of Metro Beach Metro Park, including wetland restoration and hydrologic improvements.

This project will build upon the effort currently underway by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources-Environment under a grant from the National Wetlands Conservation Grant Program to control the spread of phragmites in this and similar sites.

The project will implement the coastal wetland restoration that has been cited in numerous scientific studies as a top priority initiative for the health of the Great Lakes ecology. The 2004 NOAA-funded study, Lake St. Clair Coastal Habitat Assessment (prepared by the Great Lakes Commission in collaboration with NOAA) recommended “restoration efforts to focus on the reintegration of the entire Great Lakes marsh complex where possible in order to improve ecological integrity at the landscape scale”; “coordinate efforts that conserve natural resources and create open space linkages while allowing for economically viable development”; and to “Increase acreage of globally rare natural communities, including Great Lakes marsh, to at least 20% of original acreage.”

This project component site in Harrison Township presents one of the last opportunities to restore coastal wetlands on a landscape scale in such a highly urbanized region of the Great Lakes. The aerial photo below shows the relationship of the site to the mouth of the Clinton River and to Lake St. Clair as well as the St. Clair River delta.

A feasibility study for the wetland restoration has been completed, focusing on Phragmites control. The MDNRE in a close working partnership with the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA) has initiated the effort to control phragmites within the area. Initial herbicide applications have been made and 2

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

plans for a controlled burn – yet this winter – are in place. Final efforts of the component will continue the implementation of MDNRE’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) for phragmites eradication and control. This project will complete the steps required to appropriately restore the ecological ecosystem within the wetland by thoroughly investigating historic area hydrology; restoring the natural hydrology of the site; and re-introducing native vegetation within the areas that had been altered or disturbed. A conceptual drawing depicting proposed site improvements is included as an appendix [Section 14]. Final design will be based on results of the initial hydrological analysis. MDNRE’S Water Bureau has agreed to assist in evaluation and design of hydrological reconnection. MDNRE’s Fisheries and Wildlife Divisions has also agreed to assist in evaluation and design of marsh restoration for beneficial use by bird, fish and other species for nesting, feeding, and protective habitats. Harrison Township, HCMA and the Clinton River PAC Council will coordinate the purchase of the additional land parcels, establish appropriate conservation easements, and develop a management plan that maximizes a balance between fish and wildlife habitat values and public access. Strategic Approach The site occurs in a predominantly urban area and contains the only intact coastal marsh remaining along the western shoreline of Lake St. Clair. The marsh is subdivided into two sections totaling 486 acres that will be restored. The north marsh containing 390 acres of wetlands of which 89 percent is nationally declining. A small portion of the north marsh has previously been filled with the intent of commercial/residential development. This area will be restored to transitional or upland habitat. The south marsh contains 96 acres of wetlands of which 91 percent are nationally declining.

Fifty three species of nesting birds have been identified at the Metro Beach Metropark marsh area. Species of concern include: American Woodcock, Cooper’s Hawk, Marsh Wren, Black Tern, Blue Winged Teal, Canada Goose, Common Moorhen, Foster’s Tern, Least Bittern, Mallard, and the Wood Duck. Other wildlife include: Muskrat, Mink, Raccoon, Opossum, Striped Skunk, White-tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, Fox Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Ground Hog, Red Fox, Coyote, Meadow Vole, White- footed Mouse, Short-tailed Shrew, Red Bat, Big Brown Bat, Eastern Fox Snake, Northern Water Snake Eastern Garter Snake, Butler’s Garter Snake, Blanding’s Turtle, Painted Turtle, Red-eared Slider, 3

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

Snapping Turtle, Mudpuppy, Chorus Frog, Leopard Frog, and Bull Frog.

The habitat within the marsh areas has been deteriorated extensively thru the alteration of natural hydrology by fill and by sediment build exasperated by the phragmites invasion.

The majority of the north marsh portion of the site is classified as the nationally declining Palustrine- Emergent type. The south marsh portion of this site is predominately the nationally declining Palustrine- Scrub-Shrub type. Both types had become heavily infested with Phragmites and have seen changes to the natural hydrology over the past 20 years. Through the ongoing phragmites control project and this restoration effort significant acreages of these types will be restored.

It is expected that efforts completed under the ongoing NCWC grant and this project will return the project area to the naturally functioning wetland that has historically occupied this location. The series of photographs and conceptual drawings below show the historic wetland area circa 1990 the highly degraded current condition, and the proposed modifications for restoration. Full size versions of each of these figures are provided as attachments.

Circa 1990 Impaired [2008] Conditions Conceptual Plan Technical Approach The following scope of work has been developed to build upon the ongoing Phragmites control efforts of the MDNRE. Wetland restoration of the 486 acres will be accomplished over 16 month design and construction period [followed by 20 months of continued monitoring]. The implementation of described structural modifications is subject to results of the initial hydrologic analysis. To accomplish this restoration the following activities are anticipated to take place:

• Completing a thorough hydrologic analysis of the wetland and surrounding areas to establish historical flow patterns.

• Filling of drainage channels that were cut in the wetland areas to drain them for upland establishment. They can be seen as the rectilinear drains on the photo to the right. 4

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

• Construction of initial stream segments to provide the beginnings of the historical first/second order streams.

• Investigate the potential of installation of hydraulic control structures to provide connection between areas and allow for invasive control by temperately flooding.

• Stabilization of stream banks and dike banks to reduce sedimentation and habitat loss.

• Removal, as appropriate, of small dikes that were installed to “control” the flow of water within the wetlands.

• Provide seeding and planting of native plants to help with the initial establishment of vegetation in constructed areas.

To achieve this, the following tasks will be completed.

• Coordinate with MDNRE, Harrison Township, Clinton River PAC, and the Huron Clinton Metroparks – The project will coordinate with ongoing MDNRE work be conducted to control Phragmities. Meetings will be held with all entities to ensure that coordination of efforts and needs are being addressed.

• Finalize land acquisition of remaining parcels – The remaining parcels will be acquired. The remaining surveys, easements and legal agreements will be conducted. Documentation of the commitment of sale are included as an attachment.

• Complete a detailed hydrological analysis - Hydrologic and hydraulic variance, or the fluctuation of the water surface, is an important factor that will dominate the design of the restoration plan. Water level and flow data in the immediate project area will be researched and estimated through hydrologic modeling. The drainage area tributary to the project will be delineated and the land use characteristics, soils type, and drainage features will be identified. Estimates of the flow characteristics in and out of the system will be made. Historical data and aerials will be review to determine the historical flow patterns within the wetlands area. The hydrologic and hydraulic modeling will be used to establish the design alternatives. Water surface levels, flow rate, and fluctuations of will be used to determine finalize improvements required for establishing stable conditions within the system.

• Perform needed topographic survey -Elevation survey and bathymetry (water depth) will be conducted with transects across the wetlands and the adjacent upland area. Surveys will also determine the existence and location of existing or abandoned structures or where any utilities exist. This survey will be used to fill in holes of existing data and as the base map to finalize the restoration plan design.

• Prepare preliminary restoration design -Designs will be developed to restore the coastal and upland functions and habitat. The restoration designs will include, but are not limited to: restore the open water portion to an acceptable condition; restore wetlands at appropriate locations, remove limited areas of fill and dikes used to drain and control water, create first and second order stream segments, improve the health by providing diverse native plant species. Internal plan

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

development will be jointly undertaken by HCMA, CRWC and Macomb County with the assistance of selected consultants.

• Obtain required permits -The materials necessary to submit the MDNRE/USACE Joint Permit Application will be prepared. Including application forms, drawings, and fees. Based on the nature of this project a public hearing would be required as part of the permitting process.

• Complete design Prepare Plans & Specifications Contract Documents - Plans and specifications will be developed based on the comments and adjustment to the preliminary design. These will include the scope and extent of the work to be performed by the contractor. Specifications will be in a modified CSI format final cost estimate will be developed for the project.

• Select Contractor - The project will be publicly advertised for contractor selection. The project will hold a pre-construction meeting with potential contractors to explain the details and provide clarification to work needed to be performed. Questions and clarification in the form of addenda will be provided as needed. Contractor bids will be opened publicly at a specified time and a review of the proposed bids will follow. At which time the lowest responsible contractor would be chosen to complete the work.

• Construct Improvements/Construction Oversight - In order to complete the restoration project it is anticipated that the chosen contractor will need to perform the following activities: o Mobilization o Installation and maintenance of construction staking o Clearing, habitat augmentation and stockpiling o Temporary Cofferdam and dam construction o Dredging of sediment o Potential loading, hauling and disposal of soils and debris o Establishment of renewed stream segments o Hydraulic structure creation o Wetland plantings o Placement of habitat augmentation o Wetland Maintenance o Field engineering: oversight inspections, field ecology, contractor coordination for trail development, submittal approvals, contract documents clarification, change order/work directives, progress meetings, etc.; o Contract administration: application for payment reviews, contract documentation, project close out, etc.; • Perform Monitoring – Monitoring will be performed as described in Section C below.

• Conduct Educational Outreach programs – As described in detail below.

Education and Outreach Adjacent to the marsh restoration project is the Metro Beach Nature Center which serves over 112,000 visitors a year from the metropolitan Detroit area and from around the state. The nature center provides interpretive programming and educational opportunities to the general public and school groups throughout the year relating to the Great Lakes and the shoreline wetlands. The nature trails leading from the nature center building take visitors through the marsh and various other ecosystems. The interpretive staff also provides programs using a 34 foot Voyageur Canoe to take the public directly into the marsh to experience the plants and animals of a coastal wetland up close. Partnerships exist with the Macomb 6

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

Intermediate School District, Wayne State University, University of Michigan –Dearborn, MSU Extension-Macomb and Michigan Sea Grant to provide K-12 programs and professional development for teachers through workshops including Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support and Project Wild-Aquatic and the Great Lakes Education Program.

For the past 19 years the Metro Beach Nature Center has been involved with the Great Lakes Education Program (GLEP), through Michigan Sea Grant (MSG) and MSU Extension-Macomb (Extension) which focuses on Great Lakes coastal wetlands and open waters. MSG and Extension staff provides programs aboard the school ship as they travel down the Clinton River and out into Lake St. Clair. Metropark staff provides an on-shore program about the watershed and wetlands by hiking through the marsh trail. These programs are designed and aligned around the Grade Level Content Expectations. These guidelines help staff design relevant programming that fits the needs of the school educators. It allows the Metroparks to be a valuable resource for educating the children with programming to fit specific needs for each grade level.

The Metroparks also offers Summer Discovery Cruise (SDC) in cooperation with Michigan Sea Grant for the general public which is more informal in its approach. Participants board an excursion boat at Metro Beach and travel out into Lake St. Clair to learn about the natural and cultural history of Lake St. Clair and its wetlands. Demonstrations using submersibles and other specialized technology on some of the trips help provide a more in-depth look at the ecosystem.

This restoration project would provide a unique opportunity for Metropark Interpretive staff at the Metro Beach Nature Center to enhance and expand their programming to show park visitors first hand a marsh restoration project and to emphasize the importance of these unique and globally rare habitats. Additional emphasis will be placed on the importance of invasive plant control, wildlife habitat improvements and associated water quality issues. Indoor exhibits and wayside interpretive signs would be developed to help interpret coastal marshes, watersheds, invasive plant control and the marsh restoration project. Cooperative programs with the Clinton River Watershed Council would emphasize activities that riparian property owners and other residents of southeast Michigan, the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair watersheds can do to control the spread of invasive species and improve water quality. Cooperative programs will also emphasize the importance of wetlands and preserving and restoring native habitats.

The Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC) was formed in 1972 as an association of local governments under the authority of the Michigan Local Rivers Management Act of 1964. In 1994, the council, reorganized as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, and for more than 30 years, has served to coordinate the efforts of local governments, businesses, community groups and individuals in improving water quality, promoting innovative watershed management techniques, and celebrating the river as a natural and recreational resource. CRWC has been involved in educational programs for 36 years. They have reached out in a variety of ways to the general public through media campaigns, public appearances, presentations, workshops, educational instruction and streamside monitoring. The Clinton River Watershed is home to 1.5 million who live throughout the 73 municipal communities. Over 50 of the municipal communities are members of the Council and CRWC provides services to them for watershed management, education and stewardship.

Public outreach, education, and involvement are key factors in the protection of quality habitat and controlling the spread of invasive species in southeast Michigan and the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair watersheds. Efforts to control the spread of invasive species can be significantly enhanced by educating two key audiences: riparian property owners (public and private), and K-12 educators and students. The CRWC and the Metroparks will develop and deliver public education and involvement programs focusing

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

on native habitats and invasive species education, including educational programs, public service announcements; workshops and public displays, news briefs and releases.

These efforts will include: • Public programs at the Metro Beach Nature Center and other areas throughout the Clinton River watershed focusing on activities that riparian property owners and other residents of southeast Michigan the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair watersheds can do to control the spread of invasive species. • K-12 education, including the use of existing curricular materials, teacher professional development and classroom use of materials by teachers with students including segments of both the GLEP and SDC programs. • Public programs for general public that help promote personal actions that help conserve water and water quality and to control spreading invasive species. • Non-personal interpretation using wayside signs and exhibits to help public understand the importance of wetlands and native ecosystems, invasive species control and marsh restoration.

Project Schedule Assuming that grant funding is received in late spring 2010, and work begins in June 2010, it is anticipated that all design and construction activities can be completed by September 2011. Monitoring and educational efforts will continue for an additional 20 months providing for a target grant close out in May, 2013. A project schedule is provided below.

C. Measuring Progress

The current conditions within the marsh ecosystem and the improvements anticipated through the control of Phragmites and restoration of natural hydrology will be monitored by biologists from Wayne State University as follows. This grant will provide for an initial base line environmental monitoring at project inception and for two successive annual rounds of monitoring following restoration efforts [three year program].

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

The replacement of native vegetation by aggressive invasive plant species in coastal ecosystems has likely had substantial impacts on the thermal, physical, chemical, and biotic habitat components for existing plant, fish and invertebrates species (e.g. Uzarski et al. 2005). Phragmites has known adverse impacts on coastal systems-reducing nutrient availability to native species (Windham 2001), impacting larval and juvenile fishes (Able and Hagan 2000), reducing macroinvertebrate species richness, and altering vegetative community structure. Phragmites is also known to impact fundamental aspects of coastal wetlands such as altering their thermal regime, resulting in substantially higher temperatures (> 28°C) than native systems. Additional impacts include changes to the chemical structure including pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen (DO).

We hypothesize that by removing the invasive Phragmites and restoring more natural hydrological conditions coastal systems will return to a more natural state characterized by increased biological diversity and normalized ecosystem functioning. Such changes will result in an overall increase in several important ecological and economic services including for example, providing (1) stable (i.e. reliably fishable) commercial / recreational fish populations, and (2) cultural / aesthetic services through local economics, recreation, and continuance of traditional life-styles.

Based on the anticipated coastal ecosystem changes described above we plan to test the following hypothesis as measurable outcomes of the remediation efforts.

• We anticipate a proportional increase in the diversity of invertebrates utilizing the restored sites that reflect normalized water chemistry, physical habitat structure, and biotic communities.

Results from this work will be useful to managers in providing spatially explicit understanding of how Phragmites impacts water quality, biological diversity and ecosystem functioning that can be applied to other locations in the Great Lakes region.

We will monitor and document recovery at the impacted site through an evaluation of the macroinvertebrate, vegetative community through an evaluation of percent change over time. In addition we will evaluate changes in basic water quality. Quadrants (1 m2) will be established at the site along several transects that provides for sufficient spatial coverage and encompasses the variability of habitats present. Physical and chemical habitat variables will be measured along transects within each site on two occasions during the growing season (June and Aug,). Point measurements of water depth, dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature, pH, specific conductance, alkalinity, turbidity, chlorophyll a, and redox potential, as well as, organic substrate depth, percent organic matter, and substrate size will be measured within each plot. At each sampling location % cover of all plant species will be documented at the beginning, and end of each growing season. Invertebrate abundance and species composition will be evaluated through quantitative sweep-net and core samples (Kashian and Burton. 2000). Invertebrate samples will be identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible and assigned to a functional feeding group (Merritt and Cummins 1996). Invertebrate assemblages will be evaluated using basic community metrics such as species abundance, richness, and functional-feeding group composition.

9. Outcomes, Outputs, and Expected Results:

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan identifies as a key measure of progress for Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration the number of acres of wetland and wetland associated uplands protected, restored and enhanced. The 2010 target for this metric is 5,000 acres. Implementation of this project will restore 486 acres of wetland, or nearly 10 percent of the GLRI 2010 goal. 9

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

The project will make progress toward meeting goals of the 2008 RAP Update. And will result in substantial progress toward removing the impairment to wildlife habitat BUI and delisting the AOC.

The following habitat restorations will be made as part of this project. Great Lakes Marsh Restoration 428 Acres Aquatic Habitat / Spawning Restoration 28 Acres Upland Restoration 30 Acres

Beyond the progress toward attainment of the stated GLRI goals the implementation of this wetland restoration will have immediate positive impact in a number of areas including wetlands conservation, coastal watershed management, and conservation of threatened and endangered species. These outcomes are discussed below.

Wetlands Conservation The intent of this project is to protect and restore Lake St. Clair’s coastal wetlands by stopping the habitat degradation in the remaining nationally decreasing wetlands within the project area.

The purpose of this project is to control Phragmites and restore natural hydrology thus restoring the native plant community. Great Lakes Marsh and lake plain prairie habitats are being severely impacted by invasive species and modifications to natural hydrological conditions. Both of these community types are considered rare and are globally ranked. Through the implementation of this project, natural plant species will repopulate the wetlands. Natural wetland species provide significant environmental benefits such as a water filtration (reducing pollutants) and habitat for other wildlife (i.e. breeding, nursery, feeding, refuge from exotic species, etc).

Coastal Watershed Management This project is a priority of the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair Comprehensive Management Plan. Prepared and adopted by the Army Corps of Engineers in June 2004, the Comprehensive Management Plan identifies more than 100 recommendations for the protection and restoration of Lake St. Clair. This includes natural resource protection, maintenance of biodiversity and protection, and restoration of water quality from land use and human impacts.

The project is also consistent with the Water Quality Management Plan for Southeast Michigan. This Management Plan serves as the area wide water quality plan through which the Clean Water Act is implemented at the local level.

This project is also consistent with the goals and objectives of the Anchor Bay Watershed Management Plan.

Conservation of Threatened and Endangered Species The purpose of this project is to make hydrological changes needed to restore native wetland vegetation and natural wetland functions to benefit fish and wildlife. Healthy wetlands are especially important to those species that are threatened or endangered. The following information was gathered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Division and the Michigan Natural Features Inventory.

Thirty-three species of fish, reptiles/amphibians, and birds have been recorded within the Lake St. Clair 10

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

watershed that are protected by the Endangered Species Act of the State of Michigan. Additionally, one federally listed and one candidate species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act are in the project area.

Over 70 fish species have been recorded in the St. Clair system, with 48 species dependent on or known to use the marshes and shallow areas of the lake. These include eight species that are endangered, threatened or special concern. About 38 species of reptiles and amphibians have been identified in the St. Clair system, including four species that are endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Over 90 species of birds have been recorded in the St. Clair system. Lake St. Clair contains critical habitat for water birds – resident as well as migratory species. These include twenty-one species that are threatened, or endangered as well as of special concern.

10. Collaboration, Partnerships, and Overarching Plans: The Clinton AOC Habitat Restoration project is a coordinated collaborative effort among a uniquely qualified group of complimenting entities. Under the leadership of Macomb County the following agencies, institutions and organizations have agreed to partner toward the successful restoration of this significant wetland habitat: Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority, Clinton River PAC, Clinton River Watershed Council, Michigan Dept of Natural Resources and Environment, Harrison Township and Wayne State University. Together these groups bring the strength, authority, talent and experience needed to successfully complete the technical, social, political and administrative components of the project.

The proposed project has not been conceived in a vacuum. It has is directly and indirectly by a number of relevant planning efforts. Notably, it is identified in the MDEQ’s AOC Action Tracking Table (as a Tier 1 effort) as part of the MDEQ’s Strategy for Delisting Michigan’s Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The table below provides a cross reference to key planning documents in which this project – or restoration efforts proposed by this project – is referenced. The table, with “hot” web links, is provided as an attachment.

Title Web Link Relevant section(s)

GLRI Action Plan http://greatlakesrestoration.us/action/wp- Focus Area 4

content/uploads/glri_actionplan12032009.pdf http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/wb-AOC- Tier 1 Action Great Lakes Strategy delisting-strategy_306163_7.pdf Item(Clinton River) Clinton River Area of Concern RAP, http://www.oakgov.com/water/assets/docs/environm Category #7

2008 Update Summary ental_unit/summary%20rap%20-%20final.pdf Item #4 http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/MI- MI Great Lakes Plan Habitat / Species GLPlan_262388_7.pdf Implementation Clinton River East Sub-Watershed http://www.crwc.org/watershed/subwatersheds/clinto Roadmap Management Plan, Executive neast.html Natural Features Summary Management Lake St. Clair Comprehensive Chapter 4 http://www.glc.org/stclair/ Management Plan, High Priorities for Habitat and 11

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

Implementation Biodiversity

VII.A. Guidelines for Lake St. Clair Coastal Habitat http://www.glc.org/habitat/habplan.html Conservation and Assessment (NOAA) Restoration

http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/aoc/clintriv/Clinton%20Re 4.3.7 Loss of fish Criteria for Restoration of BUIs to storation%20Criteria%20Final%20Document- and wildlife habitat Clinton River Area of Concern %20Without%20Figures.pdf Lake St Clair Lake wide Management Plan Updates Next Steps #1 http://www.glc.org/advisor/08/LaMPs2008web.pdf for the Great Lakes "…enhance…habitat sustainability"

11. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance: The Macomb County has successfully completed many federally funded grant projects and agreements. Typically for each grant, a scope of work and a work plan was developed along with tasks outlining the responsibilities for each item within the scope of work. When appropriate, a timeline was developed along with target dates for each task so that the project moves forward in an efficient manner. All due dates for quarterly, bi-monthly or annual grant reports were designated in the work plan and all reports were submitted by the due date.

Personnel assigned to previous grants have had clearly defined responsibilities; their time was tracked through their weekly time sheets. The Grant administrator tracked all of the personnel’s time and included that information in the appropriate report that is submitted back to the Grantor.

Macomb County has staff that has managed multiple federal grants in the past, and is currently working on a watershed management plan for the North Branch of the Clinton River under an EPA 319 Grant and AOC planning work under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They have the experience and the technical skill to successfully manage and complete the proposed grant work.

The Brownfield Redevelopment grants are in their second generation and include the administration of these grants that solicit potential buyers of contaminated properties. It is a multi-level program that includes the general public, economic development specialists, real estate agents, municipal governments, and the scientific consulting disciplines. These programs are recognized as some of the most active in the USEPA Region 5 area.

The Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant is a program that allows the county government to assess the overall efficiencies of campus structures and allows for implementation of specific applications based on strict guidelines. It also allows for a Revolving Loan Fund that brings a creative element into the program for value added applications. This program includes Davis-Bacon rules of contract employment. The table below shows the status of recently completed and ongoing federal grants administered by 12

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration

Macomb County.

Grant Grant Project Name Type Amount Project Status Real-Time Drinking Water Monitoring EPA $ 1,000,000 Grant Completed Murdock-Ballard Pump Station FEMA $ 1,547,000 Grant Completed USACE PAS GIS Project (Phase 1) USACE $ 120,000 Grant Completed USACE PAS GIS Project (Phase 2) USACE $ 220,000 Grant Completed North Branch of the Clinton River Watershed Grant EPA 319 $ 200,000 Project in Progress Brownfield Redevelopment Grant – Hazardous Project in Progress Substances EPA-5 $ 200,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Grant – Petroleum Substances EPA-5 $ 200,000 Project in Progress Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant US-DOE $ 746,400 Project in Progress

12. Budget The total estimated cost of the project as envisioned is $ 1,997,500.00. This includes both grant funding and local match – which will be provided by locally funded purchase of 3 major parcels of property valued at $ 505,000.00 and volunteer efforts for monitoring and education. This grant request is for $1,492,500.

The table shows both requested grant funds and matching funds. The organizations listed are Macomb County, Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC), Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA) and, Wayne State University (WSU). Additionally contractual consultant and construction services are

Clinton River AOC – Lake St. Clair Coastal Marshland Restoration shown. The table summarizes the costs associated with the project. Contractors working on site will be procured by Macomb County or the HCMA in accordance with EPA and local procurement requirements.

The costs shown above are provided in the EPA requested format in the table below. Only Macomb County staff time and other expenditures are included under Salaries, Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies and Indirect costs. All sub-grantees along with design consultants and construction contractors are included on the Contract Costs line.

Clinton River AOC -- Harrison Wetland Restoration Line Item Cost Breakdown

Local Grant Total Match Request Cost a. Personnel/Salaries. $ 3,191 $ 39,400 $ 42,591 b. Fringe Benefits. 0.5669 $ 1,809 $ 22,336 $ 24,145 c. Travel. $ - $ - $ - d. Equipment. $ - $ - $ - e. Supplies. $ - $ 3,264 $ 3,264 f. Contract costs. $ - $ 1,427,500 $ 1,427,500 g. Other Costs. $ 500,000 $ - $ 500,000 h. Total Direct Charges. $ 505,000 $ 1,492,500 $ 1,997,500 i. Indirect Charges. $ - $ - $ - j. Total Cost. $ 505,000 $ 1,492,500 $ 1,997,500

13. ACORN Statement. Macomb County is not associated with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or allied organizations.

14. Attachments. The following items are provided as attachments to the submittal: • Table of Overarching Plans • Resumes of key project personnel • Letters of Support • Figures showing circa 1990, current and conceptual future wetland areas.