Ann Arbor will study sediment buildup in Millers Creek that causes Geddes flooding
The smallest, steepest tributary to the Huron River that is notorious for flooding during average rainfall events is getting a closer look.
The Ann Arbor City Council approved dedicating $46,026 for a future contract at its meeting Monday night with Environmental Consulting & Technology Inc. to study how sediment has built up in Millers Creek.
The study will be used to create a model from which ECT will make several recommendations for solutions to the city this fall.
Millers Creek has a swift descent to the river until it reaches a point near Huron High School at 2727 Fuller Road where the creek bed plateaus - a geologic feature that causes the creek to deposit most of the sediment it carries by Ruthven Nature Preserve.
Years of sediment buildup near the delta of the creek has choked the waterway when the creek swells as it rains.
“It doesn’t take much rain to spike high,” said Paul Steen, watershed ecologist for the Huron River Watershed Council.
The creek finds its own path at times - running through a small culvert about 10 inches in diameter underneath Geddes Road.
“The creek is trying to reach some kind of equilibrium,” Steen said. “Putting meanders back could solve the problem, but then you have a lot of land use issues.”
The creek’s channel is somewhat restricted, as it runs parallel to Huron Parkway on one side and a residential development on the other.
The research team will also conduct a network-wide field investigation of the streams in the area to complete their data collection, which includes the collection of about 30 soil samples.
At the end of the sampling, ECT will provide three options for the city to choose from to deal with the sediment loading in the creek, and give specific recommendations for culverts under Huron Parkway, Ruthven Nature Preserve and Geddes Road.
Public meetings will be held once ECT scientists have conducted their research.
In the contract approved by city council, ECT estimated the project should be complete by Sept. 11. ECT has its headquarters in Gainesville, Fla. and an office on Commonwealth Boulevard in Ann Arbor.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter @amywrites_.
Comments
Ann English
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 10:48 p.m.
Glad to see the map; I was ready to think that Ruthven Nature Area was the name of the forest at the top of the hill that part of Huron is built into.
Drew
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 1:57 p.m.
Ruthven, like it is spelled on the map.
annarboral
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.
Why does the city need yet another outside services contract. They have an abundance of highly paidd staff. I guess this suggests that staff doesn't know what they are doing. I'm sure they satisfy some politically correct quota. It's a shame they don't have the skills to do their job.
Hexagenia
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 3:37 p.m.
Do you really think there is an abundance of staff? How many people do you think they have to work on this? My guess: 2.
jmac
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.
I'm sure this will result in yet more construction at the intersection of Huron Parkway and Geddes Road - why stop now? This seems to be an annual occurrence anyways. Please, just make sure it's scheduled while school is in session, just for continuity's sake.
Brad
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 12:18 p.m.
"The creek finds its own path at times". "The creek is trying to reach some kind of equilibrium," It's a creek - it isn't "trying" to do anything. It doesn't care about "equilibrium", it only cares about gravity. So how much money are we going to spend on this before it's over?
Hexagenia
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 3:36 p.m.
Perhaps the creek was "humanized" a bit in the quote, but that doesn't take away from the overall point being made. Which is that a creek naturally has some sort of balance with it's water load, sediment, and gradient. And the concept of "equilibrium" is pretty widespread in ecology.
Mike
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 10:49 a.m.
Maybe remove the sediment?
Steve Hendel
Mon, May 14, 2012 : 3:18 p.m.
I am a former resident of the area, and I can tell you they did just that a year or two ago; trouble is, new sediment doesn't stop accumulating just because you've cleaned out the old stuff,