Stream restoration is a technique that stabilizes channels in the current environment while working to accomplish common goals like reducing erosion of the channel beds and banks, improving water quality, and improving in-stream habitats. This not only helps support biodiversity but is beneficial for communities working to control flooding or landscape development in recreational areas.
Things To Look For:
Below are common examples of things to look for to help determine if your community would benefit from stream restoration:
Does your municipality have any surface flooding issues?
Consider what area is flooding. If it’s adjacent to a waterway, then a restoration in that area could be beneficial.
Do you have a portion of a waterway that is eroding, close to a building/private property, or hazardous drop-off to the riverbed and you want to rock that section? This would be an indication of a more significant problem and you may need to look at a larger portion of that creek and restore more of it instead.
Recreational Opportunities:
Putting trails alongside rivers or streams can enhance a community’s park or neighborhood. Restructuring the city center around a river or stream can also build a unique, attractive downtown that is an exciting environment for the community to go and encourages restaurants and shops to move in.
Funding
Many state and federal grants are available for stream restoration projects, such as:
Experts on Staff
Wildland Hydrology trains federal, state, and local municipalities on river restoration and monitoring through their Rosgen Stream Classification courses. Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. has professionals on staff who are experts in stream restoration and have been trained through Wildland Hydrology courses. The Rosgen methods are the same guidance that was used to draft state and federal regulations for gathering data and what is used to write NRCS and DNR guidance’s.
Project Example: Honey Creek Headwaters Restoration, City of Greenfield, WI
Honey Creek Headwaters at Konkel Park Concept Design
The City of Greenfield is restoring Honey Creek with the goals of reducing flooding, enhancing plant and animal habitats, improving water quality, and making it a more enjoyable place for park visitors. This project will restore about six acres of the creek and riparian zone.
The restoration and access improvements include:
1.5+ acres of the stream bed and aquatic restoration
5+ acres of floodplain habitat restoration
A low flow meandering stream added along a boardwalk and trail
A naturalized flood storage pond to improve water quality
To help pay for these improvements the City of Greenfield worked with R/M to apply for, and receive, over $650,000 in funding for this project, which is about 30% of the overall project costs.
Examples of the grants and funding received include:
$10,000 | WNDR Surface Water Planning Grant.
$25,000 | WDNR Surface Water Restoration Grant for the construction for stream bank stabilization.
$150,000 | Fund for Lake Michigan Grant for the planning/funding for survey, design, permitting, fieldwork, and construction.
$225,000 | Sustain Our Great Lakes Grant for construction funding towards stream bank stabilization, fish passage improvements, native landscaping, tree planning, and more.
$225,000 | Target Runoff Management Grant for stream bank stabilization.
We Can Help!
Have more detailed questions regarding stream restoration? Contact one of our experts today!
