A Traverse City creek will be ‘under renovation’ again this year for the 14th year in a row. Local officials have received new grant money to continue work on Kids Creek.
Local environmentalists have been working since 2003 to return Kids Creek to its natural state. The creek is considered an “Impaired Waterway” by the state.
The latest grant funding will be used to remove a surface parking lot at Munson Medical Center and build a parking garage in its place. That move is intended to free up another section of Kids Creek and reduce storm water runoff into the creek.
Sarah U'Ren is the Program Director at the Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay.
“This project that we’re doing is just one piece to our larger puzzle of Kids Creek restoration projects but it's a really important piece because its providing the stream restoration activity that really needs to happen so the stream can function as it should be, rather than in a channelized ditch”.
U’Ren said funds have been secured and plans made for two smaller projects further downstream.
“The parking lot there wasn't actually the only problem that Kids Creek has. There’s a lot of impervious surfaces in Kids Creek. So it's all the storm water combined from all those impervious surfaces that are getting into the creek”.
U’Ren said work on the downstream projects are expected to begin yet this summer.