Detroit Marks Completion of $40 Million Stormwater Project on the City's West Side

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) held a celebration Thursday for the completion of a $40 million stormwater project on the city's west side. The Far West Detroit Stormwater Improvement Project is the largest green stormwater infrastructure effort the department has undertaken.

DWSD Deputy Director Sam Smalley said the new system will carry more than 100 million gallons of water to the Rouge River. He said the design also treats the water before it leaves the system. "This feature provides filtering and settling, so there are actually water quality standards for the stormwater that we discharge, so it's cleaner water faster," Smalley said. The goal, he added, is to either slow the water down or, better yet, remove it from the system entirely.

Under the plan, a sewer network routes stormwater to two new detention basins in Rouge Park. The basins filter the water and slow its flow before it is released into the river. Smalley said the upgrades should make the roughly 1,200 homes in the area more resilient to weather-related basement flooding.

The announcement was part of the WDET Detroit Evening Report for Friday, July 31, 2026, which also covered several other local developments.

Iris Taylor, a Detroit health care and education leader, has died at 74. A lifelong city resident, Taylor spent 45 years in health care and served as CEO of Detroit Receiving Hospital. Taylor also helped shape the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the health department's head of nursing, and was a member and former president of the Detroit school board. Mayor Mary Sheffield described Taylor as one of the city's most dedicated and impactful servant leaders.

In the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood, residents are complaining that drivers are parking in the bike lanes on Grand River. The lanes, installed in 2019, run between Woodward and McNichols. Grand River falls under the Michigan Department of Transportation's jurisdiction, but the state says the city is responsible for maintaining the bike lanes. Detroit Police said they plan to put officers in the neighborhood next week to ticket anyone parked illegally.

Voters are also turning out early ahead of the primary election. The Michigan Department of State reports that 11.3% of all active registered voters had already cast ballots a week before the vote. More than 800,000 residents have voted by mail or absentee ballot, and over 30,000 have voted at early voting sites. Requests for mail ballots are up 58.8% from the same point in 2022.

Early voting continues through Sunday. Clerks must receive mail-in ballots by 8 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, Aug. 4.