Sinnissippi Park is a jewel of the Rockford Park District in Rockford Illinois. It consists of a golf course, park, and wooded area on the bluff overlooking the Rock River. With a band shell for summer concerts and picnic areas this public park is beloved by all. Its topographic relief and elevation has helped to create deep ravines which naturally funnel water toward the Rock River below. At the bottom of the park is Sinnissippi Gardens and the Nicholas Conservatory which is a botanical garden, home to many interesting plants.
Erosion Remediation
Stormwater and erosion caused an enormous amount of sediment to overload the drainage system, flowing down through these beautiful gardens during heavy rain events, spilling sediment onto the walkways and eroding the river walk and stream-bank.
The Rockford Park District bid a project to create a riparian buffer on either side of the ravine by selectively clearing trees and invasive shrubs and replanting stabilizing grasses and sedges for the soil. Part of the ravine clearing was to promote the growth of Oak and Hickory trees, native to the area. In the sediment basin, resilient sedges and grasses would be replanted to hold the soil in place. Native plantings for this ongoing project will include; Little Blue Stem, Fox Sedge, Bee Balm, Blue Joint Grass and Mountain Mint.
Olson Ecological Solutions teamed with Farnsworth Group and Aqua Vitae to provide an ecological concept plan and native plant specifications for the riparian buffer and bio-retention area to be used as part of a naturalized stormwater filtration system and for sediment erosion control.
Client:
Location:
Services:
Ecological Concept Plan
Native Plant Specifications
Bio-Retention Area
Riparian Buffer
Erosion Remediation
Rain Garden
Native Planting
Native Forest Regeneration
Sediment Erosion Control
Naturalized Stormwater Filtration
Team:
Farnsworth Group
Aqua Vitae Engineering
OES – Olson Ecological Solutions
Key Staff:
Rebecca Olson – Professional Ecologist, A3E+OES
Emily Jenkins – Project Engineer, Farnsworth Group
Gary Paradoski – River Stabilization Specialist, Aqua Vitae
Duration:
2021 – 2022
Value:
$560,000
A3E+OES
Sinnissippi Gardens
Sinnissippi Park Tree Survey A3E+OES
Sediment Erosion Remediation & Control
