Which tool for the job?

Replace the sewer--or just place a new lining inside?
Bury the stream--or leave an open channel? What kind of channel?
What kind of bank reinforcement is suitable to stop erosion?

With so many questions, it's been difficult to decide on the best way to repair our greenway.

I believe that the best way to proceed with our greenway is to ask:

"Which tools are most appropriate for the job?"

Excavator photo thanks to Hellagood

A brain surgeon doesn't use a chain saw. The surgeon chooses tools that will ensure a good outcome--she doesn't just grab whatever is lying on top of the tool bench.

I've heard residents say that the ravine is a treasured resource, and that they want it left much as it is now. Therefore, the central issue in assuring this outcome is choosing the size of equipment that will do the construction work without collateral damage. If the equipment is going to drive down the stream, then it ought to be no wider than the stream.

When the stream in Westmorland Park was buried two years ago, the power shovel was so large they first had to build a gravel road to support it. More trees had to be cut. Remaining gravel makes it harder to re vegetate the scar. In this case, the tail wagged the dog.

So I believe that limiting the size of equipment is the first step in planning. If the job can't be done with small equipment, then redesign the job so it can be done.

On Spaight Street, street reconstruction led the the destruction of many trees. This fiasco raised the question--how can the city request bids in a way that that penalizes contractors when they cause unnecessary damage to the environment? Defining the width of the construction corridor is an obvious solution.

This tiny power shovel (a John Deer 35D) sitting on Midvale Blvd makes tracks only 5'9" wide. That's about the average width of the stream in the greenway. Add a foot to allow the shovel to turn shallow corners, so the stream can be curved. Then require the contractor to construct a path only 6'9" wide. Build penalties into the contract to discourage the contractor from making the path any wider.

If present city regulations don't allow for this kind of bid request, then let's wait until better bidding rules are in place. After all, there's no emergency here.

Let's be creative. There are ways to move construction supplies around that don't require building gravel roads. For example, the photo below shows a simple motorized monorail used by farmers in Italy to move grapes out of vinyards on steep hillsides. It's not rocket science.

Photo thanks to Tom Ayres

Poll Results--Most Favor a Natural, Open Stream

When asked "What solution do you favor to problems of the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway," 14 of 27 people chose "Save open stream, as natural as possible, but upgrade sewage." Only one person supported the original City plan to bury the stream.

When asked "Which landscaping plan do you favor, assuming the stream is left open and the sewer fixed," 14 of 15 people chose "Leave stream as is but reinforce with stone and mortar."

You can see full details in the right sidebar, further down.

Exploring Downstream

Recently, Mary Norton and I decided to find out where our stream goes after it leaves the ravine. Its route underground is mysterious--Chris Schmidt says that it flows in pipes under Midvale Blvd. But just north of the corner of Merlham Dr. and Hillcrest Dr., we found another branch of the creek our stream feeds into. This branch flows, channelized by concrete, through backyards just W of Midvale Blvd.

View east from Merlham Dr. The curve looks very natural.

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Mary and I climbed down, and ventured into the unknown. Ahead, we saw a Cooper's Hawk drinking from the stream. The surroundings were surprisingly pretty, despite the concrete walls and channel, which soon became straight as an arrow. We emerged after what seemed a long journey onto Midvale Blvd next to a bright red house. We were surprised to realize that we had gone only a block.

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Headed north, or downstream. Less than an inch of water.

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What we realized was that forgotten waterways are beautiful resources for the neighborhood, and habitat for wildlife. They could be a better resource if they were made more accessible. For example, steps are needed so people can get down. A bench or two for people to sit while watching the wildlife. Large, flat "stepping stones" would keep feet dry if the channel is wet.

What does it take to turn the Titanic?

On September 23, I noticed some new construction in my neighborhood, at the corner of Keating Ter. and Caromar Dr. It turns out workers were installing a new storm sewer of the old-fashioned variety--underground pipes.


But this particular project has an interesting story. Queen of Peace Church, with extensive roofs and a huge parking lot, is just a block upstream. More than half of the runoff for the new storm sewer comes from church property.

When there's heavy rain, you can see a torrent running out of the church's parking lot and down the street. I heard that one or more neighbors downstream complained that their properties were threatened by the runoff. The new storm sewer project is clearly planned to intercept and deal with this runoff.

But, imagine if instead, rain gardens had been built to deal with this problem. A small corner of the Queen of Peace parking lot could have been remodeled to create a large rain garden. It would be a wonderful project for the children in the school there, providing an example of good stewardship of neighborhood water resources. In addition, several more small rain gardens would be required to handle the runoff from the streets downstream from Queen of Peace.

What did the new storm sewer cost? I'm guessing maybe $10,000. Imagine what could have been done to create rain gardens with some of that money! Rain gardens would cost less than the new storm sewer. Our lakes and streams would benefit as well.

So why weren't rain gardens part of the solution? It seems like changing from the old way of thinking about storm water is like steering the Titanic. It doesn't turn on a dime.

It's too late to save the money--but it's not too late to build the rain gardens. Benefits: Improved water quality in the lakes, improved streamflow, beautiful gardens, and a project for children at Queen of Peace school.

Is Madison Ready for Watershed Parks?

Peter Nause is one of Madison's most creative landscape architects. He's noted for gardens incorporating natural elements, including natural stone. He tells me there's a movement afoot to keep streams uncovered, and to create watershed parks.

Peter has been working to promote "watershed parks in city parks or the kind of neglected city open spaces this current debate is focusing on. There are lots of precedents for the idea of a watershed park. Here's a link to one excellent example--an environmental artist's work." http://lornajordan.com/artist.asp?ArtistID=20609&AKey=2C782FMS

"Her Waterworks Garden received a lot of attention in my profession. Her garden combines aesthetics, open space preservation, environmental preservation, and new stormwater thinking."

In Seattle, they restored a stream with natural curves and vegetation, and used it to treat runoff from a nearby freeway. http://www.svrdesign.com/tcwqc.html

Also in Seattle, they just finished a public "charette," where children had a chance to be urban stream designers. Link for a slide show: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34170419@N07/sets/72157621598393814/show/

On the photo sharing site flickr, there is a group devoted to urban streams: "There are many ways that we have decided to address waterways in the urban fabric throughout the world, from simply burying them in culverts and pipes, to using them as open sewers, to celebrating and revering water as a source of life and beauty. This group is for us to examine the range of treatments, and perhaps inspire us to imagine new possibilities." http://www.flickr.com/groups/urbanstreams/

Turning floods into trickles

Most of the damage to our ravine occurred during floods like this.

Creek in Nakoma after last year's cloudburst

Runoff from roofs, sidewalks, streets, and parking lots is mostly responsible for floods like these. The floods erode a stream's banks, carrying sediment to the lakes. The floodwaters also carry fertilizer, pesticides, pet waste, street oil, and other contaminants to the lakes.

Rain gardens are a simple solution for runoff problems. You've probably heard about rain gardens for your downspout. You simply scoop out a shallow depression and plant flowers that can tolerate flooding or drought.

Now several other neighborhoods have started to provide rain gardens for runoff from the street. These should be a high priority for Sunset Village, where the lack of curbs would make it easy to construct rain gardens.

Large parking lots in our neighborhood, including the churches, should also be equipped with rain gardens.

Rain garden for parking lot at the corner of Struck St. & Watts Rd.

A rain garden in your future?

My neighbor, Bob Kowal, at 537 Gately Terrace, has a legendary garden. One day, as I admired the luxuriant growth on his terrace, I asked him what the secret was. He said: "I removed about a foot of soil, so the rainwater flows from the sidewalk into the garden, instead of the street." It's as simple as that. Of course, he also lets the leaves sit there in the fall.

With this in mind, I began to notice a quiet revolution going on in the Vilas area. Here, there are numerous little rain gardens, often at the corners. On the slopes draining to Lake Wingra, water runs down the sidewalks, to where it's intercepted by one of these little gardens.

Corner rain garden in Vilas area, Grant St.

Near West High School on several streets, the sidewalks, curbs, and paving were redone. Residents got a choice of a traditional grassy terrace, or a rain garden. Small holes and pipes were built into the new curbs to divert street runoff into the rain gardens.

Each spot in a neighborhood is different. Sometimes the rain runs this way, sometimes that way. Each rain garden has to be built to take advantage of the local flow. Only people in the neighborhood know the local flow.

Rain garden on terrace in Vilas Neighborhood

In the case of Sunset Village Creek--the one that flows through the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway--we have a unique opportunity. That's because the creek originates entirely within Sunset Village. It's our creek. It reflects our values and lifestyle. If it's dying or neglected, well, that says something about us....

If we're going to save that creek, three things have to happen. We have to leave it open, we have to return water to the soil, and we have to get involved as a community.

Rain barrels take water from your downspout and store it for watering the garden. They are designed to exclude mosquitoes.http://www.rainfordane.org/ Now imagine, if everyone along the greenway had a rain barrel, and each one was connected to a soaker hose leading into the greenway. Many residents in the neighborhood have ostrich ferns, and would be willing to donate these and other woodland plants for transplant to the ravine. We could have a big planting party! Within a few years, we'd have a luxuriant prehistoric jungle, good habitat for dinosaurs and pterodactyls.

Planting trillium during the second annual Weed Feed

Returning water to the soil means more than rain gardens for your downspout. To return our creek to robust health, rain gardens have to handle runoff from all the sidewalks and streets. But Sunset Village, with few curbs, offers the ideal place to experiment.

Last year, the creek at Westmorland Park was buried. They said it was done to save Lake Wingra. Destroying nature to save nature doesn't make sense. This folly results from not taking a wider viewpoint--one that encompasses the whole watershed.

That's why I'm proposing that any solution to the Hillcrest-Upland Greenway problem should involve a watershed approach. Retention of rainwater in ponds, gardens, and barrels must be part of the plan. Less runoff means less flooding, less erosion, and less damage to any sewage/runoff system.

The little creek in Sunset Village is an opportunity, just like the right-of-way that was turned into the Southwest Bike Trail. Not so many years ago, the right-of-way was an ugly strip of gravel and abandoned track. Few could have imagined how beautiful it would be today, lined as it is with gardens and flowers. Groups of neighbors go out to establish prairie plants or pull invasive weeds. Our creek has the same potential to be a wonderful asset for the neighborhood. But it we bury it, or "gutterize" it, that opportunity will be lost.

Pulling invasive weeds along the SW bikeway

Other communities are beginning to restore neglected streams. http://www.strawberrycreek.org/ In the future, gas is going to be a lot more expensive, so we need to protect the quiet nooks closer to home.

Payoffs to a watershed approach:

• Quality of life
• Community spirit
• Property values
• Wildlife
• Education...

Children learn about invasives during a play at the annual Weed Feed

Where does the water go?

Streams are quirky things. They have personalities--no two are alike. Before a doctor can prescribe, she needs to know the patient.

Yesterday, I took a tour of our stream, to see how it was doing. Upstream, by the park, it was burbling along, with quite a bit of water, even though it hasn’t rained for several days. And, the water was crystal clear! It‘s still a living stream.

Then I walked downstream from S. Owen Drive. Still a good flow was coming out of the pipe. But about a third of the way down the ravine, the water disappeared, as it usually does.

So, where does the water go? There are two possibilities:

1) The grade of the stream increases. Possibly the groundwater level here recedes, as the groundwater hurries to get downhill. I’m told that when the sewage lines were laid in the ravine, there was a road. So maybe the groundwater here is running fast through the gravel of the old road.

2) About where the water disappears, the sewage line is running nearby, and probably lower. It’s quite possible that the stream’s water is leaking into the sewage line.

Whatever the cause, the lesson is clear. This stream is fragile. Putting heavy equipment in there, and dumping a lot of gravel for a road, is going to completely destroy the stream. There won’t be any surface flow. Whatever is done, a waterproof liner may be necessary, to keep the water from sinking in.

I also looked for bedrock. If there were solid bedrock, then it wouldn’t be as necessary to protect the stream banks. You could just remove the rubble, and the stream could flow over the rock. I did find bedrock in three places, but it was highly fractured--probably it wouldn’t provide a stable bank, or prevent the water from going underground.

Two places in the ravine where you can see fractured bedrock

The squarish blocks of limestone you find in the ravine could be saved and used as a raw material for terraces or reinforcing the bank.

An open stream?

There have been some thoughtful discussions between Kathleen McElroy and Chris Schmidt, our Alder. In the discussions, the question of leaving an "open stream" is mentioned.

"Gutterized" open stream just west of the Westside Post Office

But, "there's many a slip twixt the fork and the lip." Just leaving the stream "open" isn't a victory for people who hope for natural streams.

Our open stream will need some natural curves, variations, and a way for vegtation to grow over it. Let's be creative! There's bedrock there--can that be part of the stream's bottom in places?

To see the letters by Kathleen and Chris: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=8629&post=30991&uid=104680177419#post30991

Make your voice heard !

Vote for which solution you favor to the problems of the greenway. The poll is in the right sidebar, down a bit.

This solution--bury stream in pipes?

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Or this solution--an open stream with curves, reinforced?




Or something inbetween? It's up to you!

Please help by sending this newsletter link to your neighbors: http://www.saveourstream.blogspot.com/