Engineering the Earth for Natural Stormwater Management

The City of Ann Arbor had a problem at Harvard Place. The residential neighborhood is characterized by hilly terrain, unique homes and the surrounding 125-acre Nichols Arboretum nature preserve, owned and operated by the University of Michigan. Sounds idyllic, right?

Beautiful, yes. Trouble-free, no.

The rolling terrain of Harvard Place and the "Arb" are a delight to nature lovers, but it created big storm water management challenges for the City of Ann Arbor and the University. The storm sewer piping system discharged to a channel designed and constructed decades ago in the typical "engineered" fashion - straight alignment, 90 degree bends. The steep grades at the storm sewer outfall created high velocity discharges, leaving significant erosion and sedimentation issues in its wake.

The project was launched with three goals:

-reduce storm water velocities
-eliminate soil erosion and
-create aesthetic land features.

The project team - made of OHM, the City of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan - collaborated with Harvard Place residents to create a landform-based storm water management plan:

-replace the storm sewer, including in-system dissipation devices
-design a circuitous channel with step-pool structures to control the 15-foot grade differential
-stream channel overflow "pocket" areas to reduce storm water infiltration and treatment
-plant the area using native species and maples from around the world, as part of U of M's Nichols Arboretum maple collection.

Landform-based Erosion Control for Stormwater Management

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The result? An inviting land improvement feature that includes innovative storm water best management practices (BMPs) within an intimate neighborhood and park setting.