Smith Consolidated Drain

A 100-year rain event poured more than four inches of water in less than four hours onto the greater Lansing area, inundating the Smith Consolidated Drain with stormwater. A 540-foot-long pipe carrying stormwater from the drain failed, causing flooding issues for roads, businesses, and residents near the intersection of Jolly Road and Okemos Road in Meridian Charter and Alaiedon Townships. After analyzing the area of the pipe, it was discovered that a system-wide approach was necessary to solve the Smith Consolidated Drain’s larger issues of managing the flow of stormwater and mitigating flooding. Spicer Group conducted an inspection of the 23.1 miles of drain and storm sewer system, assessed the condition of its assets, and designed several different improvement projects at multiple locations along the drain. Improvements included increasing stormwater detention by replacing outdated stormwater pipes and increasing their sizes, improving wetland areas, and building and maximizing inline detention basins.