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.
