Any construction project in a regulated water body presents challenges. The Grand River as it flows through Grand Rapids is a heavily modified river system with critical flood protection infrastructure, 10 different bridge crossings, and little-to-no connection with the natural floodplain. There are seven state and federal regulatory agencies that provide regulatory approval in this process in order to receive all necessary permits for construction to begin.

The project team has spent years developing a design that balances the goals of the project with the constraints of constructing in a heavily urbanized reach of the river. Sometimes goals and constraints conflict with one another. For example one goal is to increase fish passage beyond the existing dams, while a primary constraint is to continue to provide a barrier against invasive sea lamprey. Over the last 15 years the design has been developed to balance  each of the goals and constraints. During this time, the project proponents have engaged with multiple state, federal, and tribal agencies to fully identify, understand, and comprehensively evaluate each constraint of the project. The result is a holistic design for the project that will significantly improve the existing condition of the river and balances the goals and constraints.