KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Both the House and Senate have passed the 2024 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)— legislation that would (once signed by the President)— authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to study the Kalamazoo River Watershed and urban flooding within the city limits.
With an estimated 15-20 billion gallons (or more) in flood waters per event, the City of Kalamazoo is more than a little excited to get this off the ground.
"There is a long history of flooding in the area dating back more than a hundred years, so this is welcome news,” said Kalamazoo Department of Public Services Director, James Baker.
Welcome news indeed— the channel along Portage Creek can't handle high-flow water events (according to the city) and flooding damages property, interrupts transportation and utilities, and halts access to part of Bronson Methodist Hospital.
And that's not to mention flooding from the Kalamazoo River.
"With the passing of the WRDA, help may be on the way which could mean eventual welcome relief for the many businesses and residents in these areas that have long suffered from flooding inundation,” Baker told FOX 17.
The city has teamed up with National Weather Service, United States Geological Survey, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a joint Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) project, surveying the area of the Kalamazoo River and Portage Creek to create a 2D model to track streamflow of their surrounding floodplains and find ways to redirect floodwaters and mitigate the damage they do.
They've also partnered with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office and the Northside Association for Community Development to study just how flooding impacts the area.
"One such initiative includes a by-pass and closure project along the Portage Creek to direct excess stream flows to a pump complex and into the Kalamazoo River. The project would also include a closure complex on the confluence with the Kalamazoo River in Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood to prevent backwater flooding, and a pump complex at the closure complex to convey baseflow during closure up into the Kalamazoo River."
—City of Kalamazoo
The amount of funding to be granted has not been announced yet, but the city says they need at least $110M.
“When the amount of federal funding to the City of Kalamazoo is determined, our crews will be ready,” said Baker.
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