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Residents offer river cleanup help as council weighs Norwayne culvert repairs and green infrastructure
Summary
A Wayne resident reported abandoned homeless camps and river debris on the Rouge River and offered volunteer cleanup help; councilmembers discussed culvert repairs in Norwayne, the fixed value of CDBG funding since 1975, and broader investments in rain gardens and bioswales to reduce neighborhood flooding.
Matthew Mulholland told council he and a friend paddled the Rouge River and encountered several homeless camps, some abandoned and some occupied, that later contribute garbage to the river. Mulholland offered volunteer cleanup assistance and said logistics — access, trash removal and storage — will require DPW cooperation. “I can taste diesel fumes in my house,” he did not say; rather, he described river-side camps that leave garbage which then washes into the river and offered to coordinate volunteer cleanup with DPW support.
Councilwoman Andrea Rykowski and others discussed Norwayne’s infrastructure needs, noting that federal CDBG funding levels have not increased in real terms since roughly 1975 and that culvert and drainage repairs are planned. Rykowski encouraged rain-garden and bioswale solutions to improve water flow, reduce flooding and beautify ditches and culverts. Council and administration said they would connect with residents and volunteer coordinators to explore cleanup and green infrastructure options.
The administration said it would follow up with Mulholland to obtain exact site locations and logistics for cleanup; councilmembers said they support more information and potential coordinated efforts with DPW.
