Golf Courses

Stabilization of Deer Creek at the Michigan City Municipal Golf Course

     Confluence designed a new channel for Deer Creek at the Michigan City Municipal Golf Course, Indiana. Prior to new construction, Deer Creek flowed approximately 500 feet in a culvert and an additional 500 feet in an undersized, channelized and eroding ditch. To gain support of the local golf community, an original watercolor was produced portraying the new plans. Designs called for removing the culvert sections and relocating the stream to a new, meandering channel. The new stream consists of a low-flow channel within a larger floodway, designed to accommodate the 100-year flood. Banks along the low flow channel were constructed using bioengineering techniques and stabilized with native sedges. Areas adjacent to the floodway were lined with drainage tiles to improve site drainage and re-seeded with fairway grasses.

Sand Creek Stream Stabilization

     Confluence worked with J.F. New and Associates to complete the restoration of 3,400 feet of Sand Creek in Indiana for an exclusive golf course and development. The designs were developed to remedy severe bank erosion and channel incision problems caused by channelization and increased stormwater runoff. Wildlife habitat was integrated with golf course features to develop a unique design that utilized a combination of bioengineered stream banks and natural riffle grade controls. Planform and bedform diversity was incorporated into the design to provide habitat and improve aesthetics. HEC-2 analysis was used to meet Indiana Drainage Board water surface requirements and to guide the engineering of bank stabilization measures. The project is considered to be highly successful and received an environmental award from the National Association of Golf Course Superintendents. Moreover, steelhead from Lake Michigan are now known to spawn in the restored channel.

Juday Creek Channel Relocation and Habitat Restoration

     Confluence and J. F. New and Associates provided design, permitting, and construction supervision services for the relocation and restoration of Juday Creek on the University of Notre Dame campus. The stream was relocated and restored as part of the creation of a new 18-hole golf course designed by Cooke and Crenshaw. Juday Creek had been impacted historically by straightening and by poor land use practices. To remedy these impacts, nearly 2,400 feet of the stream was relocated to a new, meandering channel complete with pools, runs, boulders, woody debris, and spawning gravel. All construction was restricted to the channel alignment to prevent disturbance to surrounding vegetation. The banks of the new channel were stabilized using bioengineering technology and revegetated with native plants. Within months of completing the project, University of Notre Dame researchers found 26 trout redds (spawning nests) in the restored reaches of Juday Creek and none in nearby unimproved sections of the stream. These studies provide evidence that the improvements have not only restored Juday Creek, but have given this unique population of brown trout an excellent chance for survival in the future.