A creek restoration project led by the Richland Township Trustee’s Office and the Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District was cut short when it was determined the bridge that crossed the creek was in such disrepair that it, too, needed to be replaced.
The trustee’s office became interested in restoring the Turtleback Creek bank when soil erosion became a safety hazard for those visiting the Richland Bean Blossom Youth Sports Complex.
As reported in the Oct. 24, 2012, issue of The Ellettsville Journal, the project was funded by a $19,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and had to be approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management before work could begin.
The trustee’s office had to abide by certain requirements to receive the grant money. Government organizations required 4-foot buffer zones on both sides of the creek and that vegetation approved by the DNR be planted within those zones. Both improvements will help keep the creek from suffering soil erosion and flooding in the future.
However, the restoration project has reached an impasse.
When EcoLogic reached the white bridge near Don Lewis Field, the stream restoration specialists had to stop the project.
“It was a consensus of opinion that the bridge was in such a weakened condition that it would most likely need repaired or replaced so, rather than continue the last 100 feet or so that the Army Corps of Engineers had approved, we stopped at the bridge,” Richland Township Trustee Marty Stephens said.
The trustee’s office decided not to restore the banks beyond the bridge because the process of replacing the bridge would destroy the nearby bank work.
There is no timetable for when the bridge will be replaced or the restoration will be continued.
Several obstacles stand in the way before either can happen.
“What we are doing is we are now in the process of reviewing possible other state and federal agencies that would allow us to continue on past that original amount approved by the Army Corps of Engineers,” Stephens said.
Further, the office would need new permits to work on the bridge and find reputable contractors to bid on the project.
Stephens said he remains hopeful that the work will be completed, but it probably will not resume until spring.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2013. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.