Tippecanoe River Project Completes First Phase
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- A portion of the Tippecanoe River between Ind. 19 and Old US 30 cleared of severe logjams as part of the first phase of a flood mitigation project.
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- Grace College undergraduate student and Center for Lakes & Streams research assistant Alixandra Underwood inspects some of the remaining woody debris which provides wildlife habitat.
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- Grace College undergraduate students and Center for Lakes & Streams research assistants Alixandra Underwood and Nathan Roberts inspect some of the remaining woody debris which provides wildlife habitat.
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- – A portion of the Tippecanoe River between Ind. 19 and Old US 30 cleared of severe logjams as part of the first phase of a flood mitigation project.
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- – A portion of the Tippecanoe River between Ind. 19 and Old US 30 cleared of severe logjams as part of the first phase of a flood mitigation project.
By ANNA BURKE
Grace College Center for Lakes & Streams
The project addressing areas of excess fallen trees in the Tippecanoe River has completed the first phase.
A total of 97 logjams were removed from the 15-mile stretch of river from Indiana 19 to Old US 30 as a strategy to mitigate flooding.
The project is a collaboration between the Center for Lakes & Streams, Kosciusko County Office of Emergency Management, Kosciusko County Surveyor’s Office, Lake Tippecanoe Property Owners, and Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
“Some debris is good for a river because it provides habitat,” said Nate Bosch, center director. “But too much woody debris in the form of severe logjams can be detrimental because it can cause erosion, stream bank degradation and problems for fish and other wildlife.”
With this in mind, the removal efforts focused only on the logjams of greatest severity, leaving woody debris closer to the stream banks for habitat.
“Since completion of the first phase of the project, our staff kayaked the completed stretch to confirm a strong presence of remaining woody debris, yet there was a clear water course such that they never had to get out of their kayaks,” said Bosch.
The next phase of the project will focus on the stretch of river from Old US 30 up to Oswego Lake.
The Center for Lakes & Streams at Grace College conducts research, provides resources, engages and educates residents, and collaborates with local organizations in efforts to make the lakes and streams of Kosciusko County cleaner. More information is available at lakes.grace.edu.
