The Huron River runs through the middle of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. It has flooded periodically throughout its history, with the flood of June 1968 being the most recent that was severe enough to wipe out one of the dams on the river.

When the water levels are already high or when the landscape is soggy, there is a chance that a severe storm will bring about flooding of parks, such Gallup Park in Ann Arbor and Riverside Park in Ypsilanti. The Huron has flooded enough times to have taught enough people what kind of development is plausible along its banks.

The creeks that run through the area are less well known. Many of them are underground for much of their path, and in times of dry weather the flow in some can ease to a trickle. Neighborhoods in wetlands that were drained for development lose the memory and shape of the original landscape over time, and very few maps give a clear perspective on where the water runs when it escapes its underground confinement. Only when it's really flooding can you point to the bottom of Hill Street and South Fifth Avenue and say with some authority "that's Allen Creek you're looking at."

Allen Creek runs along the length of the Ann Arbor Railroad before draining into the Huron just downstream of Argo Dam. Its tributaries are the valleys of the Old West Side. If you live in the Allen Creek neighborhood, you appreciate the work this summer in West Park and at Huron High School, both of which are designed to slow down stormwaters. Michigan Stadium is also in the Allen Creek creekshed, and pumps keep the playing field dry.

Malletts Creek sees bits of daylight here and there as it runs through the part of town that used to be the independent city of East Ann Arbor. If you live in the Malletts Creek neighborhood, you appreciate the careful landscaping at the library which gives stormwater a chance to rest and the annual burn of the Buhr Park Wet Meadow. County Farm Park and little Scheffler Park show the creek some daylight as it criss-crosses Huron Parkway on its way toward Riverside Drive.

Swift Run drains the southeast corner of Ann Arbor, going right under the US-23 interchange at Washtenaw Avenue and feeding South Pond. If you live in the Swift Run neighborhood, you really realize the creek is nearby when Packard floods just to the west of US-23 or when the corner of Clark and Hogback roads is underwater.

Honey Creek enters the Huron River upstream of Barton Pond at Wagner Road, draining most of Scio Township including the Pall Life Sciences site. The Honey Creek watershed is largely agricultural, and when the water is high parts of West Liberty Road flood near Honey Run Drive and can stay flooded for more than a week as waters slowly recede into the surrounding land.

Traver Creek drains the north side of Ann Arbor, passing through Leslie Park on its way and entering the Huron near Island Park. Upstream, an old gravel pit is now a fishing location at Olson Park; downsteam, you can pick raspberries along the banks of Plymouth Parkway Park between Plymouth Road and Broadway Street. The creek has enough waterpower to have powered mills in the past, and Plymouth Road is built on top an old mill pond.

Millers Creek flows along Huron Parkway as it drains the northeast side of Ann Arbor. The creek was shortened and straightened when Huron Parkway was built, and the steep slopes lead to erosion, which makes it difficult for aquatic life to find habitat. The Millers Creek Film Festival is sponsored by the Huron River Watershed Council, and it brings together a community interested in watershed protection.

Fleming Creek runs through Salem Township and Superior Township on its way through Matthaei Botantical Gardens and Parker Mill County Park. When it floods, Parker Mill is under a couple of inches of water as the alluvial plain is flooded.

An awareness of the waters underneath our feet is difficult until our feet get wet. If there's an opportunity for neighborhood building from flooding, it's in understanding who is upstream from you on the same creek and what you can do in some small measure to make your shared creekshed be in better shape. Your upstream neighbor's flood is your flood too; even if they seem like they live well across town, you share a common concern for a dry basement and a clean stream.