L.A.R.E. Feasibility Study Selects Firm for Stony Creek

Ginger Davis, Conservation Administrator 

The Neighborhoods of James Place and Wellington North East in Noblesville have been concerned about the erosion and stream flow changes they have seen in Stony Creek over the past several years. There has been a lot of focus on this stream in the past, with the Firestone cleanup and Greenfield Avenue realignment.  Now, the stream is reacting to the disturbance by taking a new route that has increased the speed of the creek and is causing major bank erosion in the area. The two neighborhoods contacted the Soil and Water Conservation District to see what could be done to help the neighborhoods get their stream back. After observing the issues and determining the negative resource concerns in the area, the Soil and Water Conservation District decided to pursue an engineering feasibility study to help determine what can be done to alleviate the resource concerns in the area. 

“We pursued a grant through the Department of Natural Resources to conduct the feasibility study and were awarded the grant in late 2019. Now that the grant has been officially awarded, we are now ready to get started,” stated Ginger Davis, Conservation Administrator at the Soil and Water Conservation District. The grant was awarded out of the Lake and River Enhancement Fund. The goal of the Division of Fish & Wildlife's Lake and River Enhancement (L.A.R.E.) Program is to protect and enhance aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife and to ensure the continued viability of Indiana's publicly accessible lakes and streams for multiple uses including recreational opportunities. This is accomplished through measures that reduce non-point sediment and nutrient pollution of surface waters to a level that meets state water quality standards.

With funding in hand, several firms that work with streams and bank stabilization were contacted and interviewed by representatives of the neighborhoods. After deliberations and consideration over all submitted bids, FlatLand Resources of Muncie was selected and will be contracted to conduct the feasibility study. “Many great firms submitted bids, but the community members wanted to work with someone that could take the project all the way from a study through the design-build process while focusing on the stream characteristics and habitat potential of Stony Creek,” states Ginger.

Please stay tuned for more information on this project in coming months.

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