Not knowing a lot about Flint's history I've always wondered exactly why the Flint River was channeled in between where it meets with Thread Creek and westward to 3rd Avenue? Was it to reduce flooding, power industry, a little bit of both? Exactly when was this engineering project undertaken?
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Flint River Channel West of Downtown
Started by
Lmichigan
, Sep 30 2008 07:44 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
BillyChilly
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Posted 30 September 2008 - 08:30 PM
Taken from a "Flint River Assessment" pdf I found online:
"The United States Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the city of Flint, constructed a “flood
control project” on the upper Flint River segment in downtown Flint in 1963. This project consists of
concrete lining of the riverbed and banks from the mouth of Swartz Creek downstream approximately
one mile. The objective of the project is to move water through this reach as efficiently as possible to
eliminate flooding. However, the project resulted in loss of roughly one mile of natural river bed and
stream bank habitat for aquatic species."
J.L.
"The United States Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the city of Flint, constructed a “flood
control project” on the upper Flint River segment in downtown Flint in 1963. This project consists of
concrete lining of the riverbed and banks from the mouth of Swartz Creek downstream approximately
one mile. The objective of the project is to move water through this reach as efficiently as possible to
eliminate flooding. However, the project resulted in loss of roughly one mile of natural river bed and
stream bank habitat for aquatic species."
J.L.
#3
Lmichigan
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Posted 30 September 2008 - 11:39 PM
Thanks. I figured it must have been because the riverbanks must have been low at that location, so it must have easily spilled its banks during a storm.
BTW, I was doing some random research and turned up a proposal back in March that is asking for the dilapidated Hamilton Dam, downtown, to be removed in favor of rapids:
http://www.flintrive...s.org/id15.html
Lastly, does anyone know where the Utah Dam is? I'm looking at aerials, and the only thing I could guess as an unused dam looks to be up by the old Buick City complex. Apparently, it hasn't been in use in years.
Really, if anyone whenever they get some time could take pictures of all of these dams (The relatively new Obermeyer Hydro dam by Grand Traverse Street, Hamilton and Utah) that would be really great.
I've always been interested in how cities on water dealt with their geography. Here in Lansing there is also talk of removing the North Lansing Dam which was made useless when the Ottawa Street Power station, upstream, was decommissioned. The dam only served the purpose of creating a pool of water downtown for the plant to use.
BTW, I was doing some random research and turned up a proposal back in March that is asking for the dilapidated Hamilton Dam, downtown, to be removed in favor of rapids:
http://www.flintrive...s.org/id15.html
Lastly, does anyone know where the Utah Dam is? I'm looking at aerials, and the only thing I could guess as an unused dam looks to be up by the old Buick City complex. Apparently, it hasn't been in use in years.
Really, if anyone whenever they get some time could take pictures of all of these dams (The relatively new Obermeyer Hydro dam by Grand Traverse Street, Hamilton and Utah) that would be really great.
I've always been interested in how cities on water dealt with their geography. Here in Lansing there is also talk of removing the North Lansing Dam which was made useless when the Ottawa Street Power station, upstream, was decommissioned. The dam only served the purpose of creating a pool of water downtown for the plant to use.
Edited by Lmichigan, 01 October 2008 - 05:07 AM.
#4
BillyChilly
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Posted 01 October 2008 - 04:37 PM
Lmichigan, on Oct 1 2008, 12:39 AM, said:
Thanks. I figured it must have been because the riverbanks must have been low at that location, so it must have easily spilled its banks during a storm.
BTW, I was doing some random research and turned up a proposal back in March that is asking for the dilapidated Hamilton Dam, downtown, to be removed in favor of rapids:
http://www.flintrive...s.org/id15.html
Lastly, does anyone know where the Utah Dam is? I'm looking at aerials, and the only thing I could guess as an unused dam looks to be up by the old Buick City complex. Apparently, it hasn't been in use in years.
Really, if anyone whenever they get some time could take pictures of all of these dams (The relatively new Obermeyer Hydro dam by Grand Traverse Street, Hamilton and Utah) that would be really great.
I've always been interested in how cities on water dealt with their geography. Here in Lansing there is also talk of removing the North Lansing Dam which was made useless when the Ottawa Street Power station, upstream, was decommissioned. The dam only served the purpose of creating a pool of water downtown for the plant to use.
BTW, I was doing some random research and turned up a proposal back in March that is asking for the dilapidated Hamilton Dam, downtown, to be removed in favor of rapids:
http://www.flintrive...s.org/id15.html
Lastly, does anyone know where the Utah Dam is? I'm looking at aerials, and the only thing I could guess as an unused dam looks to be up by the old Buick City complex. Apparently, it hasn't been in use in years.
Really, if anyone whenever they get some time could take pictures of all of these dams (The relatively new Obermeyer Hydro dam by Grand Traverse Street, Hamilton and Utah) that would be really great.
I've always been interested in how cities on water dealt with their geography. Here in Lansing there is also talk of removing the North Lansing Dam which was made useless when the Ottawa Street Power station, upstream, was decommissioned. The dam only served the purpose of creating a pool of water downtown for the plant to use.
It sounds like you'd be quite interested in the pdf that I've stolen all of my information from:
http://www.michigand...D...&tables.pdf
The Utah dam lies just north of Utah Avenue in the river. It's basically a walkway over the river now, running from a bike trail to Whaley Park. The Utah Dam has been open for years, since it was originally used to combat industrial runoff from Buick.
I'd love to go take some pictures for you, but I haven't had any time to do much of anything lately.
Speaking of the Hamilton Dam, there was just an article on MLive regarding it:
http://www.mlive.com...s_momentum.html
J.L.
#5
Lmichigan
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Posted 01 October 2008 - 05:57 PM
Thanks!
What they are proposing for the Hamilton Dam has been done here in metro Lansing at the old Dimondale Dam. It was removed a few years ago after having been dilapidated and in severed disrepair. They ended up putting in a specific kind fo rapids that allows fish to get back up stream, but that also channels the water to cut down on the erosion of the river banks
http://members.aol.c...leDam/home.html
http://www.michigan....56523--,00.html
What they are proposing for the Hamilton Dam has been done here in metro Lansing at the old Dimondale Dam. It was removed a few years ago after having been dilapidated and in severed disrepair. They ended up putting in a specific kind fo rapids that allows fish to get back up stream, but that also channels the water to cut down on the erosion of the river banks
http://members.aol.c...leDam/home.html
http://www.michigan....56523--,00.html
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