Q. What is the role and duty of a Drain Commissioner?(Back to Top)
A. The Drain Commissioner has jurisdiction over the established county drains in Wayne County, and performs the duties set forth in the Drain Code. Basically, the Drain Commissioner administers the construction, maintenance and improvement of drains, and is responsible for the assessment of the costs incurred.

Q. What is the Drain Code? (Back to Top)
A. The Drain Code of 1956, MCL 280.1 et seq, is the statute that lays out the procedure for establishing, constructing, maintaining and improving drains, and for the assessment of the costs incurred for these activities.

Q. What is a Petitioned Project under the Drain Code?(Back to Top)
A. For an established drain, a petition can be filed for the maintenance and improvement of the drain. The Drain Code requires that after a petition is filed, that a Board of Determination be held to determine whether a project is necessary. Without a petition, the drain cannot be improved, and the Drain Commissioner can only perform limited maintenance activities on the drain.

Q. Who can file a petition? (Back to Top)
A. A petition can be filed by property owners who are liable for assessment in the Drainage District, by a municipality in the Drainage District, by the County Road Commission, or by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Q. What is a Board of Determination?(Back to Top)
A. The Board of Determination is a three-member board appointed by the Drain Commissioner. The Drain Code requires that the board members are all disinterested and own property in Wayne County. However, the board members cannot own property in the Drainage District or any municipality with lands in the Drainage District.

Q. What is the purpose of a Board of Determination?(Back to Top)
A. The role of the Board of Determination is to receive testimony and evidence at a public hearing to determine: a) whether a project is necessary and conducive to the public health, convenience or welfare; b) whether a portion of the project benefits the municipalities in the district for the protection of public health; and c) lands to be added to a drainage district.

The Board of Determination does not determine the scope of the project, the cost of the project, and does not determine how much property owners and municipalities will be assessed for the project. The Drain Commissioner makes these decisions after the engineering is performed, but before construction occurs.

Q. What is a watershed?(Back to Top)
A. A watershed is the area of land that contributes storm water runoff directly or indirectly to a particular water body (in this case a county drain). Tributary drainage systems, topography, and storm water systems are the factors used to determine a watershed. As development occurs, historical drainage patterns may change, and the boundaries of the watershed can change.

Q. What is a Drainage District? (Back to Top)
A. A Drainage District is made up of basically the same properties that make up a watershed. "Drainage District" is the legal term used in the Drain Code and makes up the properties that are assessed for activities performed for purposes of establishing, constructing, operating, maintaining and improving a drain.

Q. What is a County Drain? (Back to Top)
A. A county drain is a watercourse established by law as a public drain under the Drain Code. Once a watercourse is established as a drain, the Drain Commissioner has jurisdiction to perform the construction, maintenance, and improvement activities allowed under the Drain Code.

Q. How long is the North Branch of the Ecorse Creek Drain?(Back to Top)
A. The Drain as established is 16.6 miles in length, with a point of beginning at Council Point Park in the City of Lincoln Park and running upstream to a point of ending at the upstream end of the culvert under Ecorse Road between Sargent Street and Wayne Road in the City of Romulus.

Q. What area of land does the North Branch of the Ecorse Creek Drain serve?(Back to Top)
A. The Drainage District is made up of approximately 48,000 parcels in the Cities of Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Melvindale, Dearborn Heights, Inkster, Westland, Romulus, and Taylor. The Drainage District encompasses approximately 19,203 acres, or 30 square miles.

Q. Why did I receive a notice? (Back to Top)
A. Notices for the Board of Determination were sent to all property owners who own land within the current Drainage District or whose lands are proposed to be added to the Drainage District. All interested persons may testify at the Board of Determination, or may send written testimony to the Drain Commissioner prior to the Board of Determination hearing.

Q. Will I be assessed for the project? (Back to Top)
A. All properties and municipalities within the Drainage District, as well as Wayne County and MDOT are liable for an assessment. The Drain Code requires that the assessments are based on the benefits derived. The method for assessing and the amounts of the assessment cannot be determined until after final engineering has occurred.

Q. I received a letter but do not own the property? / What if I rent the property? (Back to Top)
A. The Drain Commissioner sends a notice to the mailing address of each person or entity whose name appears on the latest tax roll for property within the Drainage District boundary. If you received a notice, the address at which you received the notice is currently listed in the records as the tax mailing address for the property. Ownership or mailing address corrections should be resolved with your local Municipal Assessment and Equalization Department and/or the Wayne County Assessment and Equalization Department.

Q. What if I cannot attend the Board of Determination Hearing? (Back to Top)
A. If you cannot attend the Board of Determination Hearing and wish to provide public testimony you may do so by mailing your comments to:

North Branch of the Ecorse Creek Drain
C/O Kurt L. Heise, Director
Department of Environment
415 Clifford, 7th Floor
Detroit, Michigan 48226

You can also provide comments by emailing to information@nbecorsecreek.com.

All correspondence/emails must be received by December 13, 2004.

In addition, meeting minutes for Board Determination will be available to the public by December 23, 2004, at the Wayne County Drain Commissioner‘s Field Office, 3501 Henry Ruff Road, Westland, MI 48186, and online at www.nbecorsecreek.com.