RFP – Design and Installation of Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Friends of the Rouge seeks proposals for asphalt removal, bioretention design and installation, and permeable paver installation in Detroit. Proposals will be accepted from now until August 21, 2025.

Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) are a persistent environmental and public health challenge in the City of Detroit. During wet weather events, lack of capacity in the city’s combined sanitary and storm sewer system can lead to discharge of untreated or partially treated sanitary sewage to local water bodies, where it contributes to ongoing water quality impairments in the Detroit and Rouge Rivers.

Untreated CSOs represent a significant public health concern due to the loading of pollutants – such as fecal coliforms,

E. coli, nutrients, and suspended solids – to surface water bodies. These pollutants also have detrimental impacts on the aquatic ecosystem by decreasing dissolved oxygen and contributing to downstream eutrophication issues. Furthermore, CSOs create aesthetic impairments in water bodies from discoloration, unpleasant smells, and the presence of sanitary debris. In Southeast Michigan, these impairments have a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color, due to the location of CSO outfalls in proximity to these communities and a historical lack of investment toward addressing CSO issues in low-income areas.

These impacts are compounded by an increase in the number of large storm events, which often trigger CSOs, as a result of climate change.

This project will directly address these issues by implementing GSI Best Management Practice (BMP) s in priority areas for managing CSOs in the City of Detroit on several properties of community-based organizations. Designs for these projects will leverage site concepts created through the City of Detroit’s Capital Partnership Program, which developed customized stormwater management plans to generate stormwater credits for site owners via the implementation of GSI.

Friends of the Rouge (FOTR), who has an extensive profile of green infrastructure work in Detroit and has previously been engaged in helping property owners at these sites implement GSI practices, will work with Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program staff to provide overall project coordination, including communication with local partners, selection of contractors, and planning/coordination for community and volunteer events.

They will also be responsible for developing the planting plans and species lists for bioretention BMPs and short-term maintenance activities. Long term maintenance (outside of grant scope) will be performed by site property owners, in accordance with maintenance plans developed during the project. Engineering designs and construction services will be provided by contractors chosen through a competitive bid process.

The overall goal of this project is to reduce flow to the combined sewer and subsequently improve water quality through the implementation of GSI. FOTR will implement GSI BMPs at 3 project sites in the City of Detroit, including 6 bioretention areas, 1 permeable paver system, and pavement removal in contributing areas. These projects will be located in high-priority areas for GSI implementation to support CSO reduction activities.

Where possible, projects will be designed to the required basis of design for EGLE Nonpoint Source Program grants, in order to optimize impact on CSO reduction and water quality benefits. This bid is solely for the work at the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center site.

St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center GSI (19321 W Chicago St, Detroit) – this project will install 3 bioretention practices and 1 area of permeable pavers at the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center, a large catholic parish that has emerged as a leader in community education on stormwater management issues. Additionally, pavement removal will occur in…