concrete lined honey creek

Honey Creek FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND HABITAT RESTORATION

Project Update

Thank you to all who attended the public information meeting on February 22, 2024, for the Honey Creek Flood Management and Habitat Restoration project. The project is a three-way collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Milwaukee County Parks, and MMSD. Thank you also to the City of Wauwatosa and WisDOT, who invited MMSD to be included in their public meeting for the Wisconsin Ave. bridge replacement over Honey Creek.

MMSD and our partners appreciate the turnout and project feedback received during the meeting. For those unable to join us, you can view the presentation from the public information meeting on February 22, 2024.

We appreciate your interest and engagement with these projects.

The Honey Creek Flood Management and Habitat Restoration project parallels work that was undertaken in Underwood Creek. Like Underwood Creek, in the 1950s and 1960s, Honey Creek was transformed into a concrete-lined ditch to address flooding issues and to move water as fast as possible.

Time has shown that concrete-lined channels pose more problems than a natural channel. After Honey Creek was channelized, it became a danger to people during rainstorms due to high speeds of the flow; fish habitats were eliminated, and it led to more severe erosion of the downstream creek banks.

Project Overview

MMSD is now working to return Honey Creek to a more naturalized state to reduce flood risks, improve public safety, and restore habitats. The removal of the 50- years old concrete channel, naturalization of the stream channel, and restoration of the stream bank will improve the habitat of Honey Creek and improve safety by slowing down the creek’s flow during extreme rain events. 

MMSD and Milwaukee County have partnered with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to conduct a Feasibility Study through the USACE’s Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program. The goal of the Feasibility Study is to develop alternatives for the replacement of the concrete-lined channel with a naturalized channel to restore habitat. The USACE is funding 65% of the project up to a maximum cost of $10,000,000.

Honey Creek Project Map

Project components include:

  • Removal of approximately 3,910 linear feet of MMSD-owned concrete-lined channel of Honey Creek from W. Wisconsin Avenue upstream to W. Fairview Avenue
  • Removal of 1,050 feet of County-owned concrete-lined channel between Currie Ave and W. Wisconsin Avenue.
  • Rehabilitation of the remaining 3,700 feet of the natural creek downstream of Currie Ave to where Honey Creek joins the Menomonee River in Hart Park.

The project in total restores 8,660 feet of Honey Creek. Sections of the channel are in the City of Wauwatosa and the City of Milwaukee with the work taking place on Milwaukee County property.

Learn more about the Honey Creek project by watching this FOX 6 interview with MMSD's senior project manager, Mark Mittag. 

  

Project Benefits

  • Naturalize the creek’s channel
  • Slow flows during rain events
  • Improve aquatic and streambank habitat in and along Honey Creek
  • Reconnect the creek to its flood plain

 

Partners

Project Timeline

The project timeline is subject to change.

  • August 2022 - Signed agreement with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Milwaukee County Parks 
  • 2022-2024: Design
  • 2025-2026: Construction 

Resources

Get Involved 

Participate in upcoming opportunities for public engagement and feedback. To keep informed about the project, sign-up for project updates.

Follow MMSD on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) for updates on MMSD projects.

 

Comments/Questions

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Other MMSD Flood Management Projects

 

Underwood Creek Stream Restoration

MMSD and the United States Army Corps of Engineers removed 4,400 linear feet of the concrete-lined channel (from Canadian Pacific Railway Bridge to the confluence with the Menomonee River) and replace it with a bioengineered stream; reducing the risk of flooding and improving riparian flood plain and increasing habitat.

Western Milwaukee Phase 2B MMSD Flood Management Project

Western Milwaukee Phase 2B Project

This project will help reduce the flood risk along the Menomonee River in Western Milwaukee along West State Street between North 60 Street and USH 175. This project is part of the larger Menomonee River Watercourse Management Plan which aims to reduce the risk of flooding for over 300 homes and businesses.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY GROUNDS PROJECT

County Grounds

This project captures and stores potential floodwater in one large basin that covers about 65 acres and holds 315 million gallons of water.