April 14, 2010
The banks along the upper portion of Cole Creek are now home to three species of willow and a variety of hardwood trees and deciduous shrubs. The plantings mark the final phase of The Cole Creek Project, a $1.6 million urban stream restoration initiative in the Benson-Ames Alliance.
The project, which focuses on Cole Creek from its headwaters south of Sorensen Parkway to Hartman Avenue, is the first to follow the City of Omaha’s Urban Design Element recommendation that calls for transforming the Papio Creek waterways into a citywide public park and recreation system.
One of three interpretive signs that outline the goals of the project.
Earlier phases of the project returned the upper portion of the creek to its original meandering state, created three bioretention gardens to capture and cleanse stormwater runoff before it enters the creek, added a second low-flow crossing that connects the walkway around the north bioretention garden to the east side of Orchard Park and installed three interpretive signs outlining the goals of the project.
The construction goals include stabilizing the creek, improving its water quality and enhancing the recreational use of Orchard Park. The community outreach goals focus on engaging homeowners, neighborhood associations, business associations and students in understanding their role in the local water cycle and incorporating green solutions into their daily routines.
Selma Kessler, a civil engineer with the City of Omaha Department of Public Works, said the bank planting process started with the installation of live stakes and fascines, both of which featured a mixture of willow varieties. A fascine is a bundle of live willow stakes that are planted horizontally. This allows the willows to form a strong, stable line of root growth to help prevent bank erosion. Their roots also serve as an effective filter of shallow groundwater, trapping the sediment, nutrients and pollutants before they enter the creek, improving its water quality.
The willow tree and shrub varieties – Peachleaf willow, Pussy willow and Black willow – were harvested from city property or other locations where the city has permission to harvest. “Since willows form roots from cuttings, the trees at the harvest sites weren’t sacrificed,” Kessler said. “We are just expanding their arbor family circle.”
After 550 live stakes and 650 linear feet of live fascines were installed along the banks, hardwood trees – Hackberry, Honeylocust, Coffeetree, Cottonwood, Black Cherry and four different varieties of Oak, Linden and American Elm – were planted. In addition to the hardwoods, a variety of understory trees and deciduous shrubs were planted.
The final task was planting the third bioretention garden, Kessler said. The project’s other two gardens were planted last May with a mix of grasses and wildflowers. “Native plants take a while to come into their own, so those who visit Orchard Park this spring will be able to see the difference between a recently planted garden and a pair that have had a year to mature,” she noted.
Now that the project has been completed, the Benson-Ames Alliance will host a “wrap party” in Orchard Park for the Cole Creek Neighborhood Association, which formed in 2009 and whose name is inspired by the project. Guided tours will be offered.
For more information about The Cole Creek Project, visit www.colecreek.org or call 402.554.4010.
The Cole Creek Project, led by the City of Omaha Department of Public Works, is a partnership of the City of Omaha Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Property; Roncalli Catholic High School; Douglas County; Omaha by Design; the Benson-Ames Alliance; Big Muddy Workshop; Hayes Environmental L.L.C.; Lamp, Rynearson & Associates; and Olsson Associates. It is funded by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.