KAREGNONDI PIPELINE ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING
The construction of the new $300 million Karegnondi Water Pipeline has been a hot topic in Michigan for several years. While designing and constructing 62.5 miles of a new raw water pipeline across three counties was no easy task, the project was a success and completed on time and budget. Yet, with all the publicity the project attracted regarding the complexity of its design and installation, perhaps one of the most important tasks that receives very little attention is the environmental enhancements to drains, streams and wetlands along the route, and the role that the Genesee County Drain Commissioner, Lapeer County Drain Commissioner, Sanilac County Drain Commissioner, St. Clair County Drain Commissioner and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development served to integrate these enhancements. It’s important to note the Karegnondi Water Authority (KWA) invested $20 million into environmental infrastructure to enhance drains, streams and wetlands and worked closely with the Drain Commissioners, MDEQ and property owners to accomplish this. The Karegnondi Pipeline’s success story would not be complete without incorporating a chapter discussing the strategies that were coordinated between the Drain Commissioners and the MDEQ to ensure improvements met current environmental needs while using coordination to streamline all phases of environmental permitting, county drain permitting and environmental improvements.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Location
Genesee County, MI
Spicer Group Project Contact
Kelsea Sattler, PE
989-415-4991
PROJECT PICTURES
