Potato Creek Wetland Mitigation

The Potato Creek Wetland Mitigation Bank was a pilot project for the Michigan Municipal Wetland Alliance (MMWA) for a nearly 60-acre wetland mitigation bank located along the Potato Creek Intercounty Drain in Gratiot County. The MMWA is public-private partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to help offer affordable wetland mitigation bank credits to Michigan municipalities, agriculture producers, and blueberry growers. Spicer Group, with the assistance of Streamside Ecological Services, assisted MMWA in the restoration, enhancement, and creation of wetlands on land that was previously farmed. The newly created wetland mitigation bank will have wetland credits available for municipal projects in the Shiawassee Watershed and Saginaw Bay Lake Plan region.

The team performed a hydrologic assessment of the site to develop a plan for maximizing and retaining stormwater on the site. Spicer Group assisted MMWA and legal counsel in the preparation of a conservation agreement/easements and a wetland mitigation bank agreement. Spicer Group was also responsible for completing engineering design, permitting, plan preparation, bid assistance, construction administration, construction staking, construction inspection, and material testing for the project. At the end of construction, the collaborative project team has begun implementing the long-term management plan to ensure the vigorous growth and establishment of wetland habitat. The long-term maintenance plan will help create and maintain a wetland mitigation bank that will increase water quality and foster diverse ecosystems.