The Kids Creek Riparian Restoration & Stormwater Wetland Enhancement Project continues the Watershed Center’s large-scale Kids Creek Restoration Project that aims to enhance water quality and diminish stormwater impacts on Kids Creek in the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. The project site, a degraded wetland dominated by invasives and lacking natural riparian buffers, underwent invasive species removal in 2022 in preparation for buffer enhancement work.

Grant funding was obtained by The Watershed Center and the project design was completed by Environmental Consulting & Technology. The Inhabitect team was hired to implement design efforts as well as to create green infrastructure and natural landscape restoration. Activities involve establishing five acres of riparian buffer and an acre of stormwater wetland. Key actions encompass planting native trees and shrubs along Kids Creek and two tributaries receiving large amounts of stormwater. These buffers mitigate floods, enhance infiltration during storms, stabilize banks, and curb erosion and sediment influx. They also bolster floodplain connection, facilitating stormwater infiltration and reducing in-stream flows, which is critical due to amplified storm frequency from climate change. The expanded floodplain safeguards the creek and downstream areas, fortifying against floods and augmenting infiltration capacity.

Moreover, a one-acre stormwater wetland near Kids Creek will intercept runoff from the Meijer parking lot’s northern end, curtailing sediment and debris discharge. The wetland employs a sediment forebay for pre-treatment, ensuring thorough filtration before entering the creek’s tributary. Native flowers, grasses, and shrubs will be planted.