Huntoon Creek
A sudden sewer pipe failure threatened citizens of the City of Leslie. Together with Civil Engineers Inc., the Ingham County Drain Commissioner and his team stabilized the stream bank, creating a fish habitat in the process.
The rescue begins! The Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s team sets up a floating, soil erosion barrier.
This floating barrier corrals sediment caused by reconstruction, and prevents it from flowing downstream while they work.
Fish habitat lunkers wrapped with cloth are put into place to stabilize the bank and bring a healthy fish population back into balance. The lunkers are made of fresh pine and full of sap that will last a century.
Left: The dilapidated, clay sewer pipe was replaced with concrete.
Right: The Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s team installs the new drain pipe, made of flexible, double walled corrugated pipe.
Rocks are collected to keep the fish lunkers in place. Top soil is laid over the rocks, and root systems from buried fascines travel through the rocks, later to bloom as tall, Midwest-native shrubs.
In the river, the Ingham County Drain Commissioner puts a J-hook into place: An arrangement of rocks that moves the stream’s current away from the bank and towards the stream’s center.
Next, fascines of red osier dogwood are buried along the bank and become the root systems that grow to hold the fish habitat lunkers in place.
As a final step, seed is laid down and a flocculant is spread. This acts as a protective cover for the seeds as they germinate.
Huntoon Creek is restored with the Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s soil bioengineering techniques.