Farmington Hills, Michigan
Project Goals and Objectives: Remove existing dam, stabilize creek shoreline using soft shoreline engineering techniques, and restore natural flows (Farmington Hills, Michigan)
Project Description: This project demolished an existing dam, restored natural fish passage, stabilized 300 feet of shoreline using soft shoreline engineering techniques, and restored two acres of fish and wildlife habitat.
Dam Demolition: The demolition consisted of the removal of the arch dam structure, wing walls, and entire box culvert to the existing 84” x 120” corrugated metal pipe (CMP) culvert. The earth fill outside the box culvert was re‐graded to a 1:3 (v:h) slope and stabilized with rip rap. The existing CMP culvert was extended to a minimum of 12 feet in order to maintain the proposed 1:3 (v:h) slope from Danvers Drive. The flow of Pebble Creek was then restored through the existing CMP culvert. The existing culvert under Danvers Road now serves as downstream grade control for the restored stream channel.
Stream Restoration: An artificial riffle was constructed to control the streambed elevation upstream of the impoundment. It was constructed with natural boulders and cobbles that are sized such that they are stable and never transported downstream. The riffle sill was trenched into the streambed and banks to the expected depth of scour. Constructed riffles were used to dissipate energy and control the stream bed elevation in the restored channel. The design included restoration of Pebble Creek through the pond after drawdown and dam removal, including active restoration of pattern, profile, and dimension, stream habitat, and an active vegetated floodplain with terrestrial wildlife value.
Floodplain Restoration: The bottom lands exposed after draw down of the pond were restored as natural floodplain, creating a natural buffer and habitat along the restored stream corridor.
This Danvers Dam Removal and Stream Restoration Project made substantial progress toward eliminating the “Benthos” and “Fish and Wildlife Habitat” beneficial use impairments for the Rouge River Area of Concern. This project also fulfilled local and subwatershed goals by improving the quality of the ecosystem and restoring approximately two acres of habitat for fish and terrestrial wildlife. The reduction in sedimentation within the creek and the re-vegetation of 300 linear feet of naturalized stream channel created improved habitat conditions for fish and wildlife using the Pebble Creek stream corridor. The removal of the dam and the enhancements to Pebble Creek allowed unencumbered fish passage for the entire Pebble Creek (approximately 6.5 miles) and created a natural buffer of native vegetation and wildflowers between private property and the stream corridor.
Cost: $499,000
Timeframe: 2010-2012
Partners: Alliance of Rouge Communities, City of Farmington Hills, Wayne County, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ecological Effectiveness: No monitoring to date; as part of subwatershed management work of the Alliance of Rouge Communities, some post-project monitoring is planned in the future
Restoration Contact: Alliance of Rouge Communities