Appropriations Requests for : Huron River Watershed Council

1. Cosponsoring legislators:

No Cosponsors

Recipient Information

2. Intended legislatively directed spending item recipient:

Huron River Watershed Council

3. Physical address of legislatively directed spending item recipient and the intended location of the project or activity:

117 N. 1st Street, Suite 100 Ann Arbor, MI 48104

4. The recipient's employer identification number:

381806452

Funding Details

5. Requested amount of the legislatively directed spending item:

$12,500,000.00

6. What is the purpose and how does the legislatively directed spending item provide a public benefit that is an appropriate use of taxpayer money?

Southeast Michigan (SE Michigan) is a diverse region populated by 4.8 million people that have recently experienced unprecedented flooding and infrastructure failure. Stormwater infrastructure in the region, which includes significant areas serviced by combined sewers, is aging and undersized to accommodate larger storms that are occurring more frequently. The Rain Catchers Collective is a regional collaboration between four SE Michigan watershed groups poised to increase the region’s resiliency and reduce risk. Efforts will reduce economic losses due to flooding, create jobs, and improve regional water quality. The four watersheds are: Huron River Watershed Council Friends of the Rouge Clinton River Watershed Council Friends of the Detroit River An initial grant investment will seed a transformational movement to make Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) standard practice across SE Michigan that will make the region resilient to future storms. In 2024, four watershed groups launched the Rain Catchers Collective. Already, the Collective is teaching close to 100 residents per year how to build their own rain gardens and we are working with residents to install GSI. With seed funding, the Collective will expand to jointly run programs and advertise GSI products and services through a single hub, creating "Rain Catchers" throughout southeast Michigan. HRWC will serve as the fiduciary and provide overall coordination of the Collective. Each watershed group will lead aspects of the Collective based on expertise and capacity. A governance structure including a community-based Advisory Committee will be established. The Rain Catchers will rely on Community Engagement strategies to build relationships; Marketing and Communications strategies to reach the public; and a Green Workforce to meet the new demand. A more resilient future is possible. BENEFITS The Rain Catchers Collective will reduce the impact of flooding and storms and save local communities millions of dollars in expensive infrastructure solutions by: • Expanding a residential GSI program providing education, plant materials, and design, construction and technical services to over 100 residents a year • Coordinating a Resilience Fund to support municipalities and community groups to implement dozens of high impact GSI projects • Building and train a new workforce to meet the growing demand for GSI services including planning, installing and maintaining GSI • Developing a network of native plant suppliers to meet the growing demand for their products • Developing shared resources and marketing to educate the public about GSI and accelerate demand The Rain Catchers Collective is designed to be self-funding and sustainable. The business plan indicates latent demand exists for the services the Collective will provide. However, it needs seed funding to build capacity and facilitate the demand. The Rain Catchers estimate the need for $12.5 million to effectively launch all aspects of the program. Funds would be applied to increase capacity, engage communities, recruit and train a new workforce, broadly market the program, and provide start-up funds for initial GSI projects. The Rain Catchers Collective will be self-sustaining in 3-5 years.

7. Has the legislatively directed spending item previously received or been awarded any of the following types of funding in the past 5 years?

No previous funding received

8. Estimated time frame for completion of the legislatively directed spending item project:

10/1/25-9/30/2031

Additional Information For Nonprofit Corporations

9. Is the recipient a nonprofit corporation?

Yes

4. Officers and active members on the board of directors:

City of Ann Arbor: Janis Bobrin, Cheryl Darnton, Molly Maciejewski, Richard Norton Ann Arbor Township: Diane O’Connell; Vice Chair Barton Hills Village: Vacant City of Belleville: Vacant City of Brighton: Vacant City of Chelsea: Steven Wright Commerce Township: Peter Schappach City of Dexter: Sanam Aldag Dexter Township: Suzanne Bade, Mark Teicher City of Flat Rock: James Martin Genoa Township: Dan Kashian, Craig Lesley Green Oak Township: Brian Lassaline Hamburg Township: Amber Bismack Huron Township: Kelly Trombly Lima Township: Bill VanRiper Livingston County: Scott Barb, Mitch Dempsey Village of Milford: Bree Bouwer Milford Township: Mary Bajcz Northfield Township: Marissa Prizgint, Steve Sherman Oakland County: Vacant Village of Pinckney: Matt Stuk Pittsfield Township: Theresa Tupacz, Matt Catanzarite Putnam Township: Jim Jensen City of Rockwood: Vacant Salem Township: Sue Bejin Scio Township: Bob Hyde South Lyon: Alexander Hansen, Suzann Martin Village of South Rockwood: Matt LaFleur; Chair Superior Township: Curt Wolf Van Buren Township: Philip Peters Walled Lake: Vacant Washtenaw County: Andrea Pierce, Charles DeGryse, Matt Doss, Yousef Rabhi Wayne County: Vacant Webster Township: Kay Stremler West Bloomfield Township: Belinda Friis; Treasurer White Lake Township: Meg Koss City of Wixom: Vacant Village of Wolverine Lake: Vacant City of Ypsilanti: Evan Sweet, Kirsten Mowrey Ypsilanti Township: Dave Bowman, Debbie Swanson

Certification By Sponsoring Legislator

• "I certify that my immediate family members, legislative staff members, and I have no direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the requested legislatively directed spending item."
• "I certify that the intended recipient of this legislatively directed spending item is not a for-profit entity."
• "I certify that the information in this form is true to the best of my knowledge."

Senator Sue Shink