Post-flood stream assessment and natural channel design

About this project

client
City of Duluth
location
Minnesota
cost
$660,000
completion date
2016

Awards

2016 Environmental Initiative Award, Natural Resources (Coffee Creek)
Minnesota Environmental Initiative  2016

In June 2012, a 9-plus-inch rain event caused significant flooding, erosion, and slope failures in northeastern Minnesota. Barr provided evaluation, permitting, design, and construction-observation services for stabilization of multiple trout streams in the City of Duluth. In many streams, the slope failures were so severe that gravel and debris jams choked off the main stream channels.

 

Barr performed initial damage assessments to identify priority areas for stabilization in order to protect public infrastructure from further damage and to restore trout habitat on these urban streams. We also assisted the city with applying for state funding. As the design engineer, Barr developed detailed design for project reaches on four trout streams. The largest project includes 1,200 feet of newly created, high-quality trout habitat and a fish-passage culvert on Coffee Creek, which runs through a city-owned golf course. The varied conditions of the streams required using a number of stabilization and restoration methods. The restorations feature toe wood, root wads, and rock-vane structures for bank stabilization, as well as rock and log vanes for grade control. The designs also included vegetated reinforced-soil stabilization for geotechnical stabilization, as well as natural channel restoration, floodplain connectivity, and daylighting. All of the restoration projects were completed by 2015.

Key team members

Peter Hinck

Senior Water Resources Engineer

Jessica Olson

Senior Water Resources Engineer

Related Stream, river, and lake projects

Landfill-gas monitoring at remediated dump to support brownfield redevelopment
Spillway upgrades at St. Cloud Dam
Landscape master plan for watershed district
Park and landscape design for Mouse River enhanced flood protection project
O&M manual for green-infrastructure stormwater BMPs
Design of abutment wall extension at Dells hydro station
Design and prioritization of spillway gate repairs
Coffee Creek trout stream restoration
Detailed assessment of phosphorus sources and loading to Minnesota watersheds
Dry-stack tailings management
Tailings basin expansion and closure options
Groundwater monitoring for Fridley Filtration Plant rehabilitation
Incident energy and arc flash hazard analyses of three facilities
Natural-resources management plan for suburban park
Investigation and remediation of jet-fuel release
Routine electrical, controls, and instrumentation support
Feasibility design and inspections of an urban stormwater-management tunnel
Vapor intrusion investigation and mitigation in a residential neighborhood
Snowpack monitoring and lake drawdown for Minnesota watershed district
Preliminary engineering for Mouse River enhanced flood protection project
Groundwater modeling for 1,4-dioxane
First-of-its-kind spent-lime stormwater BMP treatment system
Environmental impact assessment for mountain-bike trail
Albert Lea Lake outlet modifications
Penn Avenue sinkhole investigation and rehabilitation
Oxbow-Hickson-Bakke ring-levee flood protection
Development of sewer plan and update of model
Upper Sheyenne River erosion and sedimentation risk assessment
Bathymetry and sediment studies for dredging and restoration of Minnesota lake
Water supply sustainability study for City of Rochester
Natural resources inventory and stewardship recommendations
Water-quality modeling and mapping for watershed district
Landslide stabilization design for an underground coal mine
Infiltration updates to the Minnesota Stormwater Manual
Stormwater storage facility for major Minneapolis interstate artery
Retrofit design for a city-campus parking lot
Water-quality and sediment-dredging study to restore a phosphorus-impaired lake
Advanced oxidation process pilot evaluation for municipal drinking-water system
Rapid response planning for aquatic invasive species
Greenway design to treat stormwater and mitigate flooding
Inspection, design, and construction oversight for tunnel rehabilitation
Stormwater retrofits along redesigned urban streets
Assessment and remediation of former dump site on university campus
RICE applicability analysis and audit
Inspection and repair of urban stormwater tunnels
Responding to wind-farm tornado damage
Updating of Lake Superior chemical source inventory
Earthen embankments reduce flooding and sediment loading in rural creek
Upgrade of wastewater treatment system
Bridge movement monitoring
Evaluation of wind-turbine foundation following fire damage
Project prioritization tool for Minnesota watershed district
Natural resources master plan
Embankment stabilization along Highway 73
Vulnerability assessment of municipal stormwater system
Vulnerability assessment of a city’s aging storm sewer system
Flood-control modeling and system upgrades in urban neighborhoods
Groundwater modeling for wellhead-protection-plan amendment
Multi-site PFAS remedial investigation and remediation
Sediment removal from beneath Vermillion River bridge
Flood forecast mapping for city's emergency response and planning efforts
Sustainable site design for watershed district headquarters
Living-streets planning provides framework for alternative street reconstruction
Improvements to municipal flood-risk-protection system
Green infrastructure treats stormwater along light rail corridor
Engineering services for municipal wastewater-treatment facility
Groundwater-surface water study of McKenna Lake
West Side Flats park and stormwater design
Powerhouse and turbine replacement at Redwood Falls
Monitoring of end-pit lake at oil sands mine
Highway 55 storm-tunnel inspection
District stormwater management system for redeveloping urban center
Creation of LID master plan for stormwater management
Modeling and failure risk assessment of a municipal storm sewer system
XP-SWMM model update and calibration for Minnesota watershed
Demonstration rainwater gardens reduce stormwater runoff
Flood risk reduction of suburban lakes
Letter of map revision for Minnesota city
Options study and design to restore biomass fuel-handling system
Mine remediation and reclamation
Infrastructure inspection program for Minnesota watershed district
Discovery Point ecological restoration
Hiawatha Golf Course alternatives analysis and master planning
Identification of wetland restoration opportunities
Investigation and design for Freeway Landfill
Stormwater basin retrofits for water quality improvement
Watershed management planning for Minnesota watershed district
Whitewater State Park stream restoration
Hennepin County sustainable landscape guidelines
Removing dissolved metals from roadway runoff using ferric-oxide filtration
Stormwater-management minimal impact design standards and BMP design calculator
West River Parkway landslide repair
Hydropower facility evaluation and due diligence
Landslide stabilization and corridor repair for state highway
Public-space and sustainable stormwater management decision-making framework
FERC relicensing of Ford Lake Dam
Gate automation for the Soo Locks compensating works
Water quality and ecological improvements to an urban lake
Groundwater compliance assistance for CCR Rule
Stormwater-development reviews for urban WMO
Reclaimed mineland offers worldclass mountain biking and economic development
Natural stormwater-treatment system and park redevelopment
Hydrology and hydraulic modeling of a tunnel system
Floodproofing of utility switchyard
Sweeney Lake and Schaper Pond water-quality improvement
One Watershed, One Plan development for southern Minnesota watershed district
Vapor-mitigation implementation and maintenance at business center
Upgraded Mouse River levee system manages flood risk
EIS preparation and third-party environmental review of transmission line
Hall's Island and Scherer site reconstruction
Minnehaha Park lower glen restoration
Minnetonka Mills Park design
Flood mitigation at refinery
Wetland replacement assistance for highway project
Environmental support for post-fire cleanup at industrial facility
Design of an LED lighting system for a downtown streetscape
Groundwater-flow model of the Twin Cities metro area
Fast-track realignment of a storm sewer
Remediation and redevelopment of historic dump
Development of a citywide GIS-based stormwater management water-quality model
Lilydale Regional Park stormwater management and slope stabilization
PFOS investigation at municipal wastewater plant
Municipal drinking-water wellhouse evaluation and design
Flood risk reduction for North Dakota city
Shoreline stabilization and restoration of Lake Minnetonka’s Big Island
Stormwater infrastructure management assistance
Restoration of trout habitat in Vermilion River
Response to denatured ethanol release
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) management in a Wisconsin lake
Stormwater-basin retrofits improve water quality and habitat
Evaluating tunnel system pressure
Solar-energy-system compliance
Natural stormwater-treatment system and park redevelopment
Cost analysis for meeting water quality standards
Green infrastructure retrofit of an urban shopping-mall parking lot
Berm-failure study at saltwater disposal well site
Dry Spotted Tail Creek stream restoration
Preliminary feasibility study for PFAS-related water quality concerns
Stormwater-development reviews for an urban watershed district
Urban watershed stormwater-development and permit reviews
Remediation and residential redevelopment of Whitehall Leather site
Rockford dam removal
Regulatory-compliance assistance for Freeway Landfill
Ecological residential development design preserves nature and city growth
Groundwater modeling and remedial improvements at closed landfills
Hall’s Island redevelopment and restoration
City of New Brighton water treatment plant design
Redevelopment services for New Brighton Exchange
Stressor-identification report for an impaired urban stream
Strategic planning for Freeway Landfill
Brownfields redevelopment for Mississippi WMO headquarters
Tongue River assessment
Brownfields redevelopment for watershed district headquarters
Preliminary design for PFAS-related drinking-water treatment
Groundwater modeling for water-supply wellfield expansion
Renovation of historic Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis
Redevelopment of former Atlas Cement plant
Aquifer storage and recovery and water sustainability evaluation and implementation
Willow River Dam rock arch rapids design services
Water-quality and structural monitoring for channel dredging
Spillway redesign at Cedar Falls Hydro Generating Station
Flood risk management system upgrades and FEMA certification
PMF modifications at hydroelectric plants
Hastings levee certification
PMF study for the Dead River
Rushford levee system remediation
PFAS mass balance and sample collection
Calculating stormwater fees via remote-sensing technology
PFAS treatment during power plant decommissioning
TMDL study and water quality assessment for a suburban stream
Acid-generating rock identification and mitigation
PFAS-impacted drinking water response and treatment plant design
Gas processing equipment, outage procedure and fitness-for-service evaluation
Blaine water treatment plant 4
UAS topographic data collection for habitat restoration design
City of Minnetonka natural resources management plan
Spring Lake Park Reserve natural resources management plan
Metropolitan Council sustainable landscape guidelines
Grassy Point and Kingsbury Bay habitat restoration
Engineering and design for the rehabilitation of Karey Dam
PFAS stack testing services for a manufacturing client
AWIA risk and emergency compliance for urban drinking water
Environmental assessment program for highway safety improvements
CFD modeling of stormwater tunnels
CFD modeling for spillway replacement
Park and water-feature evaluation and renovation
Rock-fall protections at Interstate State Park
Sustainable landscape master plan for Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Environmental services at manufacturing facility
Design of repairs to leaking reservoir
Park and trail conceptual design for the city of Biwabik
Trichloroethylene (TCE) investigation and remediation
RCRA waste tank inspection, certification, and closure
Air permitting assistance for reaction-injection molding operation
Great lakes coastal wetland restoration feasibility study
Highland Bridge (Ford Site) green stormwater infrastructure
Bloomington natural resources prioritization and management
Purgatory Park restoration master plan
Natural resources management plan for recreational area
Climate adaptation and resiliency plan
Road raise and conceptual design
Multi-phase levee alterations for the City of Des Moines, Iowa
Reasonably available control technology analysis for refinery
Flood-control-system upgrades and certification
Landslide stabilization protects architectural treasures
Strategy for collecting lake-morphometry data
Tailings facility dam safety review
Combined hydrologic, hydraulic and water quality model for watershed planning
Detailed 1D/2D and 2D HECRAS modeling for watershed management
Comprehensive water audits at manufacturing facilities
Environmental analysis for transmission line
Environmental planning and permitting for solar-generation and battery-storage project