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Commission briefed on complex West Side drainage problem; staff considering interior drain solution
Summary
Staff described a collapsed and deteriorated west-side roof drainage system that has saturated subgrade beneath the Capitol. Because of buried utilities and Heritage Hall infrastructure, Executive Director Rob Blackshaw said solutions will require careful, potentially surgical work; one option is routing runoff to an interior drain.
The Michigan State Capitol Commission heard an update on April 7 about a longstanding water infiltration issue on the building’s West Side and potential repair options.
Executive Director Rob Blackshaw said staff discovered that some west-side roof drain leaders that were thought to be abandoned are in fact collapsed or bridled, allowing roof runoff to saturate soils and migrate into the building’s sub-basement and service areas. The Capitol’s recent additions — including Heritage Hall — and buried electrical conduits and DOAS ductwork make open excavation disruptive and risky.
"It's now trying to figure out how do we get the water from the west side of the roof to the storm sewers successfully without having to dig up half the West Lawn," Blackshaw said, calling the work a "surgical operation." He said staff are exploring options that avoid major lawn excavation, and one possibility under study is bringing the drain inside the building to an interior piping route that would discharge to the storm system.
Blackshaw said the team is reviewing all options to identify the least obtrusive, physically feasible and cost-effective solution and will report back to the commission at future meetings on impacts to the building and grounds.
