Restoring Water Flow to Support a Neighborhood

When people hear the word “restoration,” they often think about projects that focus on wildlife habitat. While that work is an important part of what HeartLands Conservancy does, restoration can also mean solving problems that affect people and communities.

A recent project in Cahokia Heights is a good example of restoration that improves daily life for residents while also helping the landscape function better.

Several years ago, HeartLands Conservancy completed a watershed plan for the Prairie du Pont watershed in the Metro East region. The plan focused on flooding problems that affect many neighborhoods in the area. During that process, the communities of East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights were identified as priorities because flooding has had serious impacts on water quality, property, and human health.

HeartLands worked with residents to identify and prioritize projects that could help reduce flooding. One neighborhood that rose to the top of the list was known locally as Ping Pong in Cahokia Heights, where flooding has been a long-standing issue.

Two key problems were identified. The first was an undersized culvert that carries stormwater out of the neighborhood. The existing pipe was too small to handle the amount of water moving through the system during heavy rain.

The second issue was a nearby drainage ditch that had gradually filled with trees, brush, and sediment (pictured above). Because the ditch was partially blocked, water could not move through it properly. During storms, floodwater would spill over the banks and spread into nearby yards and around homes.

Working with engineers, Heneghan and Associates, improvements were designed to help water move through the area more effectively.

The project included installing a new 170-foot reinforced concrete culvert, which is about as long as six train cars. This new structure works alongside the original 18-inch metal pipe, which by itself was not large enough to drain the neighborhood during storms.

Crews also cleared and regraded about half-mile of the drainage ditch so water can flow through it again. In addition, five smaller culverts under nearby roads were cleaned out to remove built-up debris and sediment.

Together, these improvements help move stormwater through the neighborhood more efficiently and reduce the risk of flooding around homes.

Projects like this show that restoration is not only about plants and wildlife. It is also about improving the way land and water systems work so they better support the people who live there.

 This project was made possible through funding from the Illinois EPA.