BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Cutting the city of Benton Harbor in two, Ox Creek trickles along a polluted path.
"Basic neglect," said Alex Little, assistant city manager. "You’ll have places where you can’t even tell that there was a creek."
The tiny tributary that feeds into the Paw Paw River— eventually flowing into the St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan— can be found on Michigan's Section 303(d) list, which lists waterways "impaired" or "threatened" by pollution.
“Been sitting there probably close to 100 years with little or nothing done to it," Little said.
In the 1960s, the automobile and die casting companies that built Benton Harbor into a bustling hub of industry left town, causing its population and per capita income to plummet. The predominantly African-American city now boasts a population of around 9,000, less than half its highest total.
"All of the problems that were left from those businesses are still here," said Little, listing off chemicals that corrupted the city's water supply: "Lead, arsenic, mercury, and all those kinds of things."
Falling further into disrepair, the creek's watershed collected trash from nearby neighborhoods.
“People got the feeling that it was safe just to go and dump stuff there," Little said.
The restoration of Ox Creek "started a long time ago," according to Little, who's served in various government positions in both Benton Harbor and other Midwest cities damaged by the decline of the rust belt.
Through recent state and federal funding, though, a vision of a revitalized creek and city is taking shape.
"It's really the power of partnerships, bringing and building those collaborations," said Emily Finnell, Great Lakes Senior Adviser and Strategist for EGLE.
Through her department, Finnell has worked as a "connector," finding funding and people willing to work on the creek. In total, around $9M dollars has been dedicated to the project, including monies from the EPA, NOAA, and the federal government's Justice40 Initiative.
“I think this could really be very transformational for the city," she said. "This has kind of been a passion project of mine."
Currently, the city is conducting an environmental review of the site, planning to address pollution, flooding, and habitat restoration. Cleaning up contamination and illegal dumping, it also wants to improve public access, restoring pedestrian bridges and the parks that border the banks of the creek.
"We want to make that valley beautiful again," Little said.
If fixed up for future generations, Little thinks the city will follow suit.
"We think that will cause Ox Creek to be a catalyst that will call for more investment on both sides [of the valley]," Little said. "We’re basically trying to rebuild a community.”
