Beyond the flooding and into year 3

The flooding in December was significant, but due to the work completed on the project prior, the outcome was much better than it otherwise would have been. With nearly 1 million cubic yards of dirt removed from the floodplain, additional storage was created, reducing overall flood heights and minimizing the impact on local residents and businesses.

While the project provided a clear benefit, it wasn't fully prepared for that volume of water. Several areas of plantings were not yet established, leaving the ground vulnerable to erosion. We will repair these areas during the coming construction season and add additional wood structures in some higher risk areas. As this phase of the White River Restoration project reaches completion and work begins on future phases, we expect to see an even greater reduction in flooding risk.

See below for some photos of 24th Street in December and January, and then north of 24th in late January when the contractor got back to working on wood structures. More to come as we move into our 3rd and possible last construction season for the habitat phase.