Planning & Prioritizing Green Infrastructure to Achieve Detroit's Goals for Volume Reduction while Reshaping the City

The confluence of green infrastructure planning, implementation and regulations is presently playing out in the City of Detroit led by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) as a component of its Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Program for the Upper Rouge Tributary (URT) area.The revised CSO Control Program and subsequent issuance of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) includes a green infrastructure component addressing multiple land uses. DWSD, in partnership with the City of Detroit, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and the MDEQ saved $600 million with this revised approach.The approach moves towards achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability while considering multiple outcomes representing various needs. The strategy for implementation coordinates with other Detroit programs, including The Detroit Works Project which is focused on realigning the City by adjusting from a population of almost 2 million to the latest census at just over 700,000. DWSD's new Green Infrastructure Program works towards achieving the following goals:• Establishing a more affordable program based current financial capabilities;• Meeting regulatory requirements established by MDEQ;• Demonstrating infrastructure cost savings and energy efficiencies; and• Enhancing community quality of life.This paper will discuss the planning approach utilized during the permit modification negotiations to demonstrate green infrastructure feasibility. This paper will also outline how DWSD is working towards achieving the above goals, how ongoing planning efforts are occurring simultaneously with green infrastructure implementation and most importantly, how the collaborative planning and implementation process is unfolding across multiple departments with support from outside partners.