Oakland County, Pontiac outline $930,000 Ducks Unlimited grant and petition plan for Roof Collier drain and Murphy Park wetlands restoration

Oakland County Water Resources staff told the Pontiac City Council on Tuesday that a $930,000 Ducks Unlimited wetland grant will pay design costs for wetland restoration in the Roof Collier/Bartlett drain corridor at Murphy Park and downstream along the Clinton River outlet.

Scope and grant: Taylor Worsler, a civil engineer with the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, said the grant covers design of wetland restoration across roughly 60 acres of continuous wetlands in and downstream of Murphy Park. The stated goals are to increase wetland storage and habitat, reduce erosion and sedimentation into the drain, stabilize stream banks and design walking and biking trails to connect Murphy Park to the Clinton River Trail extension.

Drain petition and jurisdiction: The county plans a petition to extend the Roof Collier drain district upstream to include channel segments now outside county-maintained drains, and to consolidate the Bartlett Drain into an expanded Roof Collier Drain (chapter 20 drain). Extending the district would put additional channel segments under county maintenance authority. County staff said they will obtain easements where necessary and expect the petition process to begin once the council adopts a supporting resolution; staff indicated they would bring a resolution for council consideration on April 1.

Costs and responsibilities: County presenters said the grant covers restoration design (no city match required for the grant). The county estimated petition-related costs to the city at about $5,000 for the petition filing; ongoing annual maintenance costs would transfer with the extended district (the city already pays some maintenance for portions of the Roof Collier Drain). Lynn Seymour, a county chief engineer, said that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) clarifying maintenance responsibilities and long-term jurisdictional boundaries will be prepared for council review once designs are further along.

Community linkage: The plan would also design trail connections between Murphy Park and the Clinton River Trail extension (North Spur). County staff emphasized design-only funding for trails under the grant — trail construction would require separate funding and coordination with the city. County staff said they will coordinate with city parks, the Michigan DNR and local stakeholders and offer additional public outreach sessions.

Why it matters: Murphy Park includes significant wetland acreage within Pontiac. The county’s proposal seeks to combine floodplain, wetlands and trail objectives into a single, grant-funded design process that could reduce downstream flooding and erosion while creating recreational trail connections. Councilmembers asked about timing and confirmation that the city would have a formal MOU before construction; county engineers said the resolution to start the petition will be on the April 1 council agenda and that the MOU will follow once a more advanced design is available.