Snake Hill Farm-Linton Creek Restoration

Stream restoration using engineered log complex restores stability and ecological function to a degraded creek in a suburbanized subwatershed of the Chagrin River.

Though it borders the urbanized Cleveland metropolitan region, the Chagrin River is a designated State Scenic River with relatively high water quality, riparian forest cover, and habitat. When Linton Creek, a tributary to the Aurora Branch of the Chagrin River that flows through an organic farm, became degraded by stormwater from surrounding development, the farm owners turned to Biohabitats for help. The stream had eroded up to 10 feet in some locations, and was threatening an entrance drive to the farm.

In a design-build capacity, Biohabitats worked with the farm to develop and implement a restoration design to stabilize and rehabilitate 100 linear feet of Linton Creek. Using a combination of nature-based techniques, such as contiguously intertwined log, rootwads, and brush, the design slows down and redirects flows while adding diverse aquatic habitat to the system. The use of bioengineered wood structures, rather than rock, also reduces disturbance to the stream channel, debris accumulation, and long term maintenance costs.

TAGS

• Design-Build