The Cole Creek Project
Some view Omaha’s Cole Creek as nothing more than a drainage ditch or dumping ground, a nuisance that must be dealt with when local rainfall amounts are high. Others view this waterway – part of the city’s local floodplain system – as a natural asset, an opportunity to create a valuable neighborhood amenity for residents of all ages to enjoy.
The Cole Creek Project, a $1.6 million investment in the Benson-Ames Alliance, 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. It focuses on the upper portion of Cole Creek from its headwaters south of Sorensen Parkway to Hartman Avenue. The project is designed to stabilize the creek, improve its water quality and enhance the recreational use of Orchard Park. The project’s community outreach component seeks to engage homeowners, neighborhood associations, business associations and students within the Benson-Ames Alliance in understanding their role in the local water cycle and incorporating green solutions into their daily routines.
The project is being carried out in phases – the construction of a series of bioretention gardens to detain and cleanse stormwater runoff before it enters the creek, the restoration of the creek itself to reflect its original meandering state, and the creation of a walking trail and interpretive signage.
The Cole Creek partners include the City of Omaha Departments of Public Works and Parks, Recreation and Public Property; Roncalli Catholic High School; Douglas County; Omaha by Design; the Benson-Ames Alliance; Big Muddy Workshop; Hayes Environmental LLC; Lamp, Rynearson & Associates; and Olsson Associates. It is funded by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.
For more information about The Cole Creek Project, call 402.554.4010 or email info@omahabydesign.org.