Blackhawk Creek drains more than 4,500 acres through the south side of Davenport. Much like North Walnut Creek in Urbandale, Blackhawk Creek is a flashy urban stream. It exhibited severe bank erosion of 8 to 14 feet. The creek is closely bounded by Indian Road on the west and single-family residences on the east. The creek banks were continuing to erode, threatening the stability of Indian Road. Further, a sanitary sewer main paralleled the creek and Indian Road. Due to the bank erosion, several manholes were exposed as well as a few sanitary sewer pipes. The situation needed to be addressed to prevent imminent failure of the sanitary sewer system and maintain the integrity of Indian Road.

Bolton & Menk completed all necessary services to bid the 3,400-foot bank stabilization project, including:

On-site topographic survey

High-resolution aerial imagery via drone

USACE Section 404 permit

FEMA “no-rise” flood modeling

Floodplain development permit

Conduct an issues assessment

Develop concept design plan

Design of bank stabilization measures

Preparation of construction plans for bid

Our team identified and prioritized locations to be addressed. A mix of both traditional and bioengineering practices was applied to the problem locations. The resulting solution was a targeted, cost-effective, and resilient project to address the bank erosion and protect the adjacent infrastructure long-term.