Engineering Inc - July/August 2019 - 34

MULTI PROJECT

Expertise Yields
Integrated Flood
Protection
PROJECT: MCKINLEY
POND PROJECT
MUNCIE, INDIANA
FIRM: BEAM, LONGEST AND NEFF
INDIANAPOLIS

he historic McKinley neighborhood is nestled in the northernmost crook of the White River
as it winds through the center of
Muncie, Indiana. Located downstream
from where Muncie Creek empties into
the White River, the area had long been
vulnerable to severe flooding. But a new
stormwater collection system, retention
pond, pumping station and subsequent
improvements protect residents against
future flooding.
The oldest homes in this 40-acre neighborhood date back to 1895, which marked
the beginning of 20 years of rapid growth.
A levee constructed along the river after a
flood in 1904 was no match for the Great
Flood of 1913, which left the area under
22.6 feet of water, the highest river crest
ever recorded in Muncie.
During the Great Depression, the river
channel was dredged and widened as part

during a 100-year flood event. To reach
that goal, a 2,500-gallon-per-minute
pumping station was installed to move
pressurized floodwater captured behind
the outdated levee through a 16-inchdiameter water force main through the
new levee and into the river.
The retention pond was built on a
low-lying area where more than two dozen
dilapidated homes had been demolished.
Engineers shaped the pond to fit the natural topography of the shallow bedrock.
The pond design also included the reuse of
excavated boulders and native tree plantings around the pond perimeter. Existing trails now extend into the levee area,
providing connectivity and encouraging
increased use of the green space as well as
spurring neighborhood revitalization.
"It is already having an impact on the
neighborhood," says Michael Cline, senior
project manager for Beam, Longest and
Neff. "Residents are doing more to keep
their homes up, repainting and doing
things they never would have done before.
When we were standing outside inspecting the pumps, neighbors came over and
said, 'This is just great; it is beautiful; it is
wonderful.'"
Additional improvements in the McKinley neighborhood included
curbs, sidewalks, fencing
and preemptively installed
signage to protect vehicles
and pedestrians. The project was completed in 2018.

Michael R. Cline
Senior Project Manager
Beam, Longest and Neff

BEAN, LONGEST AND NEFF

Muncie Sanitary District's new
1.7-million-gallon stormwater
retention pond is adjacent to
the upgraded Elm Street levee
along the White River.

of the Works Progress Administration.
Storm sewers were installed and levee
improvements took place, culminating in
1950 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the new levee.
Even so, chronic stormwater overflow
resulted in a cluster of homes falling into
disrepair. The situation came to a head in
2011 when FEMA's certification of the old
levee lapsed and the Indiana Department
of Environmental Management (IDEM)
mandated separating the area's combined
sewers. The Muncie Sanitary District
(MSD) had to act quickly.
MSD engaged the team of Beam,
Longest and Neff, Christopher B. Burke
Engineering and United Consulting-all
ACEC Member Firms-to develop a solution. The team was tasked with addressing
three key issues: separating the combined
sewers in the area, per the IDEM mandate;
updating the Elm Street levee and facilitating the removal of stormwater; and revitalizing the McKinley neighborhood.
To accommodate the IDEM mandate,
more than 40 storm sewer inlets in the
neighborhood were disconnected and
rerouted to a new 1.7-million-gallon
stormwater retention pond. To modernize
the levee and meet subsequent standards,
the engineering team and
MSD specified stormwater removal to withstand a
10-year storm event, even
when the adjacent White
River might be inaccessible

ENGINEERING INC. JULY / AUGUST 2019

Engineering Inc - July/August 2019

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