Tyler Dam Drain

On the eastern edge of Washtenaw County, the Willow Run Creek meanders between two now-defunct factories. In the 1940s, a dam was built along the creek to create a stormwater impoundment pond, called Tyler Pond, that provided water to fight fires for the factories. The water level was controlled by the Tyler Dam, which was passed to the ownership and care of Ypsilanti Township when the plants closed. The dam needed costly repairs to bring it up to Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) dam safety standards. 

Spanning the width of Tyler Pond are two sanitary sewer mains owned and operated by the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) that were built in the 1970s and originally supported by a failing timber trestle bridge. Spicer Group conducted a structural analysis of the trestle bridge and developed a solution to replace the trestle structure, while at the same time, YCUA decided to permanently dewater the impoundment and leave the dam in place.

The WCWRC hired Spicer Group to design improvements that transformed Tyler Pond into the Tyler Dam Drain. The drainage district for the new drain was just over four-square miles and contained 3,955 parcels. This solution incorporated the decommissioning of the dam, drawing down Tyler Pond, and replacing the failing utility trestle with a concrete culvert structure that stretched over the newly established drain. YCUA’s sanitary sewer pipes were then safely buried on top of the new concrete culvert.

The exposed ravine was then reconstructed into a natural two-stage channel county drain by excavating through sediment which had accumulated in the pond’s bottom. More than a dozen outfalls were extended into reinforced and armored channels. Additionally, biodegradable contour waddles were implemented to reinforce the channel and prevent soil erosion. Heavy riprap was placed along the drain bank, and live staking was used to preserve the shape of the new channel.