Building ecosystem resilience within an important coastal tributary to Lake Michigan

Valley Creek Restoration Using Nature-based Solutions

Like many places along the coast of Lake Michigan, natural areas in Port Washington, Wisconsin, are experiencing the myriad effects of climate change—increased erosion and flooding, extreme temperatures, and loss of habitats for imperiled migratory birds, pollinators, fish, and plants. This is particularly evident in the Valley Creek corridor, a 1.8-mile (2.9-kilometre) City-owned urban park that’s popular for hiking, biking, and watching wildlife.

Major flooding along the creek in 2018 caused severe channel deepening, damage to roads, homes, and water and sewer lines, and park closures. In a bid to limit impacts like these in the future, the City engaged our help. Our role? To design, permit, and oversee implementation of a comprehensive ecosystem restoration effort. Drawing on our previous work preparing the watershed plan and extensive knowledge of the Valley Creek watershed and funding opportunities, we’re working toward stream channel restoration and stabilization. We’re also working toward removal of fish passage barriers, green infrastructure planning, and wetland restoration.  

This ecosystem restoration project will ultimately help the City reduce erosion and flooding, protect critical infrastructure, and restore riparian, floodplain, and estuary habitat—improving the overall resilience of the watershed.