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SEMCOG annual rain gauge report confirms Southeast Michigan was wet in 2004 Precipitation in Southeast Michigan in 2004 was greater than in 2003, according to the SEMCOG Rain Gauge Network 2004 Annual Report, recently published by SEMCOG. In 2004, precipitation in SEMCOG's network ranged from a high of 44.48 inches at Richmond in northeast Macomb County, to a low of 28.11 inches at Grosse Pointe Woods, in northeast Wayne County. The region was drier in 2003, when precipitation ranged from 38.48 inches to 24.17 inches, and drier still in 2002, when precipitation ranged from 35.31 inches to 18.80 inches. Many areas of the region were wetter in 2004 than in 2003. The biggest difference (over 10 inches more precipitation in 2004) occurred in east-central Wayne County and northeast Macomb County. The extreme nature of precipitation in May 2004 was a major factor in the higher annual totals; during May, most of the region received more than twice the normal monthly amounts, while some locations recorded up to 3.5 times the normal monthly amounts. Below-normal precipitation in February, April, and September offset the otherwise much larger annual totals. For over 40 years, SEMCOG has maintained a Rain Gauge Network covering much of Southeast Michigan. In partnership with Wayne County, Macomb County, Livingston County, and the City of Detroit, the network covers Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Livingston Counties, and parts of Washtenaw County. Data are collected by independent observers from approximately 65 precipitation gauges. The SEMCOG Rain Gauge Network 2004 Annual Report is available for $10. Contact: SEMCOG Information Services.
Urgent community development issues are focus of MCDDA Conference, September 14-16 The Michigan Community Development Directors Association's (MCDDA) annual fall technical assistance conference is scheduled for Wednesday-Friday, September 14-16, 2005, at the Bay City Conference Center in Bay City, Michigan. Sessions will focus on urgent issues in community development, such as advocacy for housing and community development programs, formula changes, and performance measures as well as green building and energy conservation. In a year when the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program was threatened with elimination, it is vital that community development practitioners continue to show policy makers the value of the program. In addition, further changes to the program are being proposed that will greatly affect the program's impact on Michigan communities. At the same time, the Advisory Committee for the Strengthening America's Communities Initiative (SAIC) has published its report and this could once again be offered as an alternative to the CDBG program during the next budget cycle. Every entitlement community is urged to attend this important conference. MCDDA conferences are coordinated by SEMCOG on behalf of MCDDA, in cooperation with the Michigan office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Contact: Naheed Huq, SEMCOG Coordinator of Community and Economic Development.
SEMCOG hosts DWSD meetings with communities on 2006-2007 water and sewer rates Beginning in October, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) will hold a series of monthly meetings with its wholesale customers (communities) on the 2006-2007 water and sewer rates. Structured similar to last year's customer meetings, preliminary budget data will be presented as it becomes available throughout the process, culminating with the proposed rates in advance of the public meetings. Communities who are wholesale water and/or sewer customers are encouraged to attend all four meetings. The meeting schedule is as follows; all will be held in the Ambassador Room of SEMCOG's office in the Buhl Building:
Please refer to the DWSD Web site — www.dwsd.org — for the final meeting schedule and times, agendas, and background materials. Proposed rates for 2006-2007 will be in place prior to the public hearing scheduled for January 25, 2006. Contact: Ted Starbuck, Senior Planner, SEMCOG Environmental Programs.
August 31 meeting seeks comments on Detroit River International Crossing Study As part of the Detroit River International Crossing Study (DRIC), the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for a new or expanded Detroit River crossing, plaza, and associated roadway connections in the Detroit-Windsor metropolitan areas and will conduct a scoping meeting on Wednesday, August 31, 2005, from 4-6:30 p.m. in the Ambassador Room of Cobo Conference Center, Detroit. MDOT is seeking comment on this study relating to specific areas of concern, acceptable methodologies for impact assessment, and mitigation/permitting requirements that may be necessary for project implementation. The public is encouraged to comment on the scoping process by submitting comments via mail to DRIC Study, Bureau of Transportation Planning, P.O. Box 30050, Lansing, MI 48909; by fax to (517) 373-9255; or on the project Web site at www.partnershipborderstudy.com. Additional information, including the entire Scoping Document and Work Plan, is available on the project's Web site. Contact: Benjamin Kohrman, Michigan Department of Transportation, (517) 335-3084 or e-mail kohrmanb@michigan.gov.
Workshop on tools and techniques for Phase II stormwater public education requirements for communities scheduled for September 28 The Assembly of Rouge Communities (ARC) will hold a workshop to help communities learn how to fulfill the Phase II stormwater public education requirements on Wednesday, September 28, 2005, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Lawrence Institute of Technology (Southfield, MI). Presenters will discuss ways to educate and involve citizens in watershed stewardship, riparian land management, river friendly lawn and garden techniques, storm drain awareness, and household hazardous waste disposal. Public works staff, planners, engineers, elected officials, consultants, and/or community organizations should attend. The cost for ARC members is $10; for nonmembers, the cost is $35. Please register by September 9. Contact: Zachare Ball, 313-963-6600, or e-mail zball@ectinc.com.
SEMCOG Web hits increase Hits on SEMCOG's Web site — www.semcog.org — for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, totalled 1.6 million. This is a 33 percent increase from the previous fiscal year. Contact: Sue Stetler, SEMCOG Manager of Communications and Creative Services.
SEMNotes The City of Rochester and its surrounding area were named the 39th in a list of the top 100 cities in which to live by Money magazine and CNN Money. SEMCOG received an Innovative Award from the Michigan Association of Regions (MAR) recognizing Our Water. Our Future. Ours to Protect - Seven Simple Steps to Clean Water. Also, the Michigan Transportation Planning Association (MTPA) gave SEMCOG Innovative Awards for its Regional Traffic Count Data Warehouse, Transportation Web-Based Data Tool, and the E-TIP Transportation Improvement Program.
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