West Washington Street Drainage Improvements, Phase I

CLIENT: City of Champaign, IL

Clark Dietz provided professional engineering services for drainage improvements to the West Washington Street drainage basin. The Washington Street Watershed had a long history of flooding problems, which affected hundreds of residents along the watershed. The flooding was primarily attributed to an undersized storm sewer system not built to today’s design standards.

A study was completed to find solutions to alleviate the localized flooding problems. The results provided a three phase plan for drainage improvements consisting of a combination of storm sewer improvements, storm water retention basins, and pavement restoration to improve the flood protection level in the watershed from a 1-year level to a 40-year level. Extensive public outreach and stakeholder input went into the development of the key project parameters and concept plans.

The primary feature of Phase I is an 11-acre-feet detention basin at Robinson Court, which holds approximately 28% of the 40 acre-feet of storage volume that is needed in the watershed to achieve a 40-year flood protection level. Storm sewer improvements along Washington Street from Robinson Court to Russell Street were also done. The project also included construction of new street pavement, sidewalks, driveways, lighting, and utility adjustments.

While the primary goal of Phase I was to improve flood protection levels, a secondary goal was to turn the space into a park-like area that could be utilized by the community for recreational purposes. Park like amenities include a multi-purpose path, gazebo, benches, ornamental fencing and lighting, outcrop boulders, landscaping and rain gardens.

West Washington Street Drainage Improvements – The Details

Awards

APWA 2015 Environment (Less than $5 Million) Award