Early 2008 found Unionville—Sebewaing Area Schools (USA Schools) gasping for breath as they contemplated the enormous lake of water that covered their sports fields, parking lots, and playgrounds.

 

Mechanical problems contributed to an already tense situation when the newly opened auditorium sunk below the waves as a sump pump failed and tens of thousands of dollars worth of educational equipment suffered an extended dunking.

 

Not only did the creek rise, it left the flooded lowlands covered in water for some time. The resulting cancellation of school events, shuffling of home games to opponent’s fields, and messy cleanup left a deep bitter taste that USA Schools did not want to go through again.

 

Late in 2008, it happened again. While planning and mobilization for a maintenance approach to the problem was being worked out, down came the rains. Drenched, discouraged, and downright angry, the schools, the township, and local landowners decided a petition for a drain would be needed.

 

The Armbruster Intercounty Drain is the name of the offending culprit and soon it was the subject of great debate and deliberation. The residents of the district were, as of August 2008, sick and tired of destroyed crops, flooded properties, water damage, and all of the inconvenience of the water problems they faced.

 

The Armbruster Intercounty Drain spans two counties, those of Huron and Tuscola. Located at a junction of the counties that forms a panhandle of northeast Tuscola County just east of the Fish Point Nature Area, the drain parallels Wildner Road in Tuscola downstream to its outlet in the Wiscoggin Drain, also an Intercounty Drain between Huron and Tuscola.

 

From its confluence with the Wiscoggin there is just a mere 1/2 mile to Saginaw Bay, depending on the level of the Lakes and the direction of the wind. If the wind blows and the Lakes are up, then Saginaw Bay can actually encroach on lands presently drained by the Armbruster Intercounty Drain. The Armbruster Drain parallels Wildner right to the east line of Tuscola County and into Huron County where the Road changes its name (and alignment) to McAlpin Road. It is McAlpin Road with the drain paralleling that runs by USA Schools.

 

A branch of the drain runs into the main channel along the west line of the school property and drains the football, track, and baseball fields. The newly built elementary school sits just a couple hundred feet away from the branch.  The staff parking lot is far below the tops of the original drain soil piles, now nicely mowed as school grounds. Continuing to the east upstream, the drain crosses M-25 to drain fertile Huron County farmland east and south of the USA School site. Just over 1,000 acres of farmland contributes runoff to the drainage channels around the school.

 

BMJ Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. was asked to attend meetings related to the discussion of correcting the problems. In October 2008, survey and study of the facility began. Investigation of the drain and school site indicated that the drain facility was aggraded with approximately 1 to 2 feet of sediment but did not suffer chronic erosion or other damage. The conclusion was that, as long as the original design criterion was acceptable, a maintenance dredging of the drain would restore the originally intended function.

 

However, the school site had not existed during the previous design. In fact, the entire district had previously been predominantly agricultural. In 2008, several homes and business had been constructed in the lower reaches. Problems came to the attention of the people in the watershed during an especially wet spring and summer season.