Restoration Project
Rouge River AOC Habitat Restoration - Patton Park Design
The Alliance of Rouge Communities received an EPA GLRI Grant in 2025 to design habitat restoration at Patton Park. Patton Park is an 84-acre park located on the Southwest side of Detroit, along the border of Dearborn, MI. Historically, the park contained a “pond” that was a favorite spot for swimming and fishing until the mid-1970s when it was partially filled and overtaken by invasive Phragmites. Currently, stormwater within Patton Park drains to the Detroit Water Reclamation Facility via the combined sewer system. During heavy rain events, the system discharges screened and disinfected combined sewage to the Rouge River via the Baby Creek Screening and Disinfection facility located adjacent to the park and serves a 450-acre area. To reduce the flows to the combined sewer system, the City of Detroit received grant funding to install two green infrastructure systems in the park to capture runoff from the parking lot. The project is slated to be completed in Spring 2026 and designed to be connected to the proposed wetland area funded with this grant.
When implemented, the Patton Park Restoration project funded by this grant will result in approximately 7 acres of wetland/wet meadow/prairie woodland restoration/enhancements and will connect habitat with the ongoing green infrastructure project being implemented by the City of Detroit. Planned restoration actions will include invasive species management, grading, native plantings, and placement/creation of additional habitat structures. These planned restoration efforts will provide stronger ecological connections via more diverse habitats and established corridors for species interactions between the wetland and upland areas; subsequently, improving wildlife habitat conditions for native avian, herpetofauna, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and pollinators.
