Canton Board Approves Measures to Reduce Energy Use, Pollution and Erosion of Rouge River

Canton township officials approved a sweeping measure on Tuesday to trim government energy usage and costs, as well as two projects that aim to protect the Rouge River from further pollution and river-bank erosion.

The energy strategy will attempt to reduce the amount of electricity, water and natural gas that are routinely consumed. The first of a two-phase project will require a Comprehensive Energy Analysis – a two to three month audit – which will be performed by Chevron Energy Solutions Company.

“They’ll evaluate how well we’re using energy in all aspects of our operations,” said Debbie Bilbrey-Honsowetz, director of Leisure Services. “Based on that analysis they will make a recommendation on how we begin to make energy reductions.”

The first step toward making these reductions in utility usage will be to compile a priority list based on the findings of the audit. The list will be used to develop a strategy that will attempt to make the energy cuts that have the best opportunity to yield savings, she said.

Beyond the initial phase, the township would enter into a contract with Chevron, which would implement the agreed upon strategy. While the entire process could take two or three years to be completed, Bilbrey-Honsowetz said that Chevron has guaranteed the savings.

“We’re basically borrowing from those energy savings,” she said of the process, which will guarantee the projected savings for the contract. In the event that the savings ultimately come up short of those established in the agreement, then Chevron would cover it. “If they come up short, then Chevron will write us a check for the difference.”

The cost of the analysis to the township is $34,400, which would be rolled into the cost of the eventual contract based on the findings, should they decide to move forward with it. If the township decides not to enter into a contract with Chevron beyond the initial audit, the full amount of the analysis would be due immediately.

The cost of both phases of the project – which will be determined by the results of the audit, and the eventual plan agreed upon by township officials – will ultimately be financed by the savings that are projected by the energy strategy, according to Bilbrey-Honsowetz.

Both Ann Arbor and Farmington Hills have used Chevron to analyze their utility usage, she said, and have made the necessary cuts based on its findings. The state of Michigan has also turned to Chevron for the same services, and, she said, in each case the results of their strategies were just as projected.

“This is something that has a good track record,” she said, “which is why we have decided to go with Chevron.”

River Rouge projects

Township officials on Tuesday also agreed to two projects designed to protect the integrity of the River Rouge ecosystem.

The Lower Rouge River Log Jam Inventory project aims to survey the stretch of river within Canton Township boundaries for areas that are obstructed by fallen trees. The cost of the project is estimated at $80,000, half of which will be covered though a grant by Wayne County’s Rouge River National Wet Weather Demonstration Project.

“The objective is to create an inventory of all existing log jams on the river, and take them out to keep them from further eroding the banks,” said Tim Faas, director of municipal services. “This erosion is putting sediment in the river that is killing plant and animal life.”

There are roughly five miles of river in Canton, though the project will initially focus on eliminating the log jams along the approximately two miles of river that run along the township’s recreational trails. According to Phil LaJoy, the township supervisor, there have been a significant amount of requests to use the river for the purposes of canoeing and kayaking.

The second project will address the hazardous runoff from the medians along Michigan Avenue, which routinely carry pollutants that are deposited into the Rouge River. To combat this, a bio-swale will be implemented, which is a series of landscaping elements – plants and flowers – that will be planted down the middle of the median along Michigan Avenue between I-275 and Haggerty Road.

According to Faas, the bio-swale landscaping will have a three-pronged effect: It will absorb the pollutants in the standing water that collects in the medians, it will beautify the medians, and it will cut back on the required mowing maintenance. This will save the township an estimated three to four thousand dollars per year, he said.

The cost of the project is$60,000, half of which will also be covered by the Wayne County grant. If successful, Faas said that it could be further replicated westward along Michigan Avenue. “Once we design it, we’ll know from a cost standpoint whether we can do it a little more or a little less,” he said.

The funds that the township will have to contribute to each project will be drawn from the public works’ storm water budget.