Procedural and Project comments for the Army Corps of Engineers Rouge River proposal

Dear Army Corps of Engineers... I hope I submitted my project comments in time.

Some comments submitted by Ian Tran to the Army Corps of Engineers (some of which undoubtedly submitted in great haste... pictures from the Army Corps of Engineers taken at Sault Ste Marie added for visual narrative purposes):

Procedural comment to the Army Corps of Engineers and all other relevant federal entities (please share with the EPA as well):

Greetings!  My name is Ian Tran.  I'm an undergraduate Environmental Science student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and resident of Canton Township who lives within the Rouge River Watershed.

Please disseminate project proposals and public comment/hearings concerning environmental issues on a more thorough watershed stakeholder basis. Reach relevant county commissioners, city officials, and if time permits, local watershed stakeholder organizations so as to ensure better dissemination of announcement in community newspapers and newsletters via other local government units.

It is extremely challenging for individual citizens to keep up with and find out about upcoming public hearings and projects. Delegating announcements and resources to local governments and their community stakeholders is a must—this was realized and expressed vehemently at this summer's (2011) EPA National Environmental Justice Conference in Detroit. An abysmal gap between federal and local communications exists and many people are impacted by this lack of awareness.

Using this Rouge Channelization announcement as an example: The Army Corps of Engineers could have notified Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb (which are constituents of the Rouge Rive Watershed) county commissioners of this project and public comment period with directions to distribute to their respective municipalities for release to the press.

This outreach approach is important to the Rouge Project because upriver citizens in communities like Canton Township can be unaware of their tie-in to down-stream communities and the river. In the interest of promoting awareness for green infrastructure, a decision making event such as a public hearing may be the first time they encounter the topic and the bigger picture goals for regional development. I appreciate that green space is an acknowledged need for the Dearborn/Detroit community. However, as the Corps may be aware, flood alleviation requires upstream coordination and prevention as well.

Public hearings are an outstanding opportunity for local community organizations and educational institutions to provide outreach on complex issues such as watershed education, other environmental, economic, and political implications of potential projects.

Potential project announcements:

Please work with other Federal entities like the EPA to devise an educational phase as part of the plan for projects apart from and in advance of the public comment period and hearings.

With more advance notice about projects or issues under consideration, community organizations and educational institutions can provide authentic, coherent, and credible educational outreach prior to an impending decision. Citizens can decide and comment more incisively after they've been thoroughly educated about the principles of an issue.

Thank you for your consideration!

Project questions and comments (in strange formatting thanks to the magic of cut and paste...):

1. Has coordination with local non-government organizations been considered? Would annual volunteership at the proposed sites by non-profits like The Friends of the Rouge and student organizations such as the Student Environmental Association help

2. Do stipulations exist for favoring local contractors as groups that would implement the projects?
3. Despite its Area of Concern Status, do public access sites to proposed green spaces/river exist at this time? Would this breach the conditions for the project's designated goals? Several residents do kayak and canoe the river annually.

4. Can the Army Corps of Engineers stipulate a local purchasing guideline for contractors undertaking the re-vegetation effort? The Lakeplains Cluster Stewardship Network has a directory of native plant nurseries which may be useful for this.

5. Documentation and educational signage:
   In addition to monitoring, I'd like to request that the Army Corps of Engineers provides or helps to coordinate outreach for documenting near-term and long-term project progress (near as in 1,3, 5 years from now, long being 15, 25, or more—at least establish a framework outreach strategy with stakeholders like the University/community college, City, and non-profits like Friends of the Rouge).
6. Will the Army Corps of Engineers provide updates on project status to the community?
   
   7. Is it possible to allow permission for University, non-profit, and local government to install educational signs about the site and project?
   Continued citizen involvement/input:
   8. Please provide continued dialog and opportunity for involvement with the project with citizens. What ways can we direct inquiry or contribute further questions?
   Also,

We're glad to know that the Army Corps of Engineers is looking at alternatives to concrete.

I second this recommendation:
"Please consider installing bio-engineered materials that can handle
higher near bank velocities along the transition zone downstream of the remaining hard

A real Army Corps Engineer pondering at the Soo Locks (photos from Sault Ste Marie, MI by Ian Tran).

armored structures, such as the CSO outfall."  As an alternative, use previous hard-shore engineering (concrete) and arrange small banks akin to log jams that run tangent to a river bank--particularly in areas susceptible to accelerated bank erosion.