Detroit River Protection Ordinance – What Property Owners Need to Know

Owners of waterfront property in the City of Detroit, should be aware of the “Detroit River Protection Ordinance” which was passed in September 2021, and will be taking effect in July 2022.  The ordinance aims to improve inspections and maintenance rules for property owners along the Detroit and Rouge River shorelines and requires owners to inform the City and residents of any incidents that may involve contamination. The City’s Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) will compile a registry of all owners with properties on the water and the list will be publicly available.

An abundance of critical infrastructure—public and private—resides along the Detroit River and Great Lakes.  These include power plants, drinking water intakes, and municipal sewage systems as well as privately owned industrial sites and marine terminals.  Shoreline failures can threaten occupied structures, expose underground utilities, wash out pavements, and cause sinkholes and slope failures. Under this ordinance, every five years, property owners are required to submit both a seawall and a geotechnical report and must give notice within 48 hours if there is a shoreline breach, flooding, structural failure, or environmental contamination. These reports are prepared by licensed professional civil engineers who will provide an analysis of the structural integrity of the seawall and a maintenance and repair schedule for any issues identified in the report.

Shoreline protection has never been more important, and investments made now – both private and public — will protect valuable recreational, commercial and industrial assets into the future.  Existing shoreline systems do not have an unlimited service life and issues such as changing water levels, river scour, adjacent loadings not considered at the time of design and construction, as well as normal aging and deterioration, can lead to seawall distress and ultimately failure.

​NTH’s knowledgeable civil engineers have extensive design and rehabilitation experience with seawall and shoreline protection systems on the Great Lakes and Detroit River with ongoing inspection diver and seawall contractor relationships that can assist with evaluation of current conditions and rehabilitation of existing structures. NTH also owns a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that allows our highly trained staff to inspect and assess the condition of your underwater assets – quickly, cost effectively and safely.

For more information, on how NTH can help with your shoreline property, you can read about our expert shoreline inspection and rehabilitation services, view our post NTH Inspecting And Protecting Our Shorelines And Seawalls, and watch our webinar, The Impact Of High Water Levels On Shorelines.

If you need more information, contact Jason R. Edberg, P.E., Senior Vice President at (313) 237-3941 or jedberg@nthconsultants.com.