This project continued work on The Watershed Center’s Kids Creek Restoration Project by installing a riparian buffer and stormwater wetland to reduce stormwater, sediment, and nutrient inputs to Kids Creek, an impaired stream in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. 

This project addressed pollution affecting the main branch of Kids Creek as it runs from US-31/M-37 to Silver Lake Road through land owned by the City of Traverse City and Meijer, Inc. This section marks the beginning of the segment of the creek designated impaired as it receives a large amount of runoff from large stores, hotels, and car dealerships upstream (south).  A large amount of stormwater is also conveyed to this section of Kids Creek from two small tributaries. The first tributary originates at Franke Road and receives stormwater from a commercial travel drive and medical complex to the west. The second tributary receives nearly 3 acres of direct impervious surface runoff from a nearby parking lot, including excess amounts of sediment and debris.

In summer 2023, we installed a one-acre stormwater wetland to intercept runoff from the north end of the Meijer parking lot that was directly discharging significant amounts of sediment and debris into the creek. The stormwater wetland utilizes a sediment forebay to provide pre-treatment prior to entering the wetland. This allows the stormwater to pass through several treatment areas to ensure a high degree of filtration prior to entering one of the tributaries to Kids Creek. Plantings in and along the sides of the wetland included more than 3,000 plugs of native flowers and grasses, along with several trees and shrubs. This wetland prevent 1,100,000 gallons of stormwater from entering Kids Creek each year. Additionally, the wetland annually prevents 10 tons of sediment, 15 pounds of nitrogen, and 1.4 pounds of phosphorous from entering the creek.

We also re-established a 30-foot vegetative buffer consisting of native trees and woody shrubs along 3,000 feet of Kids Creek and 1,800 feet of one of the tributaries. In fall 2023 and spring 2024, we planted 480 trees and 1,050 shrubs along these riparian areas. In addition, we installed 1,500 live stakes along the streambank. These riparian buffers will help slow floodwaters and increase infiltration during storm events as the stream and small tributaries overtop their banks. The deep roots of the vegetation will also help stabilize the banks and reduce potential erosion that contributes sediment (and nutrients attached to sediment) to the stream. These buffers together prevent 18,000 gallons of stormwater, 1.5 tons of sediment, 19 pounds of nitrogen, and 2.5 pounds of phosphorous from entering Kids Creek each year.

Additionally, riparian restoration work on the two tributaries allows for added floodplain connection that provides further stormwater infiltration and flow capacity from the stormwater runoff from upstream impervious parking lots and roads. This is important considering the increase in the number and intensity of storm events this area is experiencing due to climate change; the added floodplain area will help protect the creek and downstream areas from flooding and allow for increased infiltration capacity.