Reducing flood risk and reconnecting a creek to its floodplain

The City of Rogers initiated this project because of an emergency effort to stabilize the creek and protect the greenway from washing away. The project developed into restoring approximately 825 linear feet of stream channel and reconnecting nearly half a mile of creek to its floodplain. The team used natural channel design methodology to create an appropriately sized channel with a dense riparian buffer and instream structures that deflect erosive forces from the banks and prevent downcutting. Natural Channel Design structures utilized included stacked-rock vanes/j-hooks, cross veins, and constructed riffles. The floodplain restoration was achieved by lowering the adjacent streambanks by 6+ feet to reduce flooding and relieve channel incision. Reduction in bank height greatly reduced the base flood elevation for the surrounding neighborhoods.