Kalamazoo proposes plan to help ease flooding
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Flooding in low-lying areas of Kalamazoo has been a concern for years. Now, the city is making plans to ease the strain on the creeks that cause much of the flooding.
Kalamazoo City Commission heard a presentation from Public Works Director James Baker at Monday night's committee of the whole meeting. Baker explained it's a combination of factors that lead to flooding after heavy rainfalls — undersized creeks, high groundwater tables and the lack of wetlands all contribute to the problem.
The city has dredged Portage Creek and the Crosstown ponds over the last few years and there has been more wetlands added upstream by the US Environmental Protection Agency at the old Allied Paper landfill.
They're also putting in bigger storm sewer pipes with more inlets on the city's north side. Baker said the low-lying areas of Kalamazoo will continue to see flooding until they can find a way to get the water out of the area despite the elevation challenges.
"Flow is going to flow backwards through the storm sewers. Flow is going to flow backwards down Portage Creek and flow is going to kind of well up in this neighborhood and it's going to continue to do that until we have some way to stop flow from the Kalamazoo River, like a closure complex, some way to pump Portage Creek up and over or to bypass it with a tunnel system. Our models show this can work. It can be successful. There's projects like this that are working today all across the United States," Baker said.
This project is still in the planning stage and funding has not yet been identified. The city received notice Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the plan as part of the Kalamazoo city/county hazard mitigation plan.
