Title
Approving Request from City of Madison Engineering to Construct Castle Creek Channel Flood Mitigation and Restoration Project
Body
City Engineering has identified a flood reduction project as part of the Warner Park and Cherokee Marsh Watershed Study that impacts City of Madison Parks’ property in the Warner Park Watershed on the east side of Warner Park in the Castle Creek Channel near Trailsway. Currently there is significant flooding in the Brentwood Neighborhood along Trailsway, and into Warner Park.
The project alleviates flooding by lowering and widening the existing Castle Creek channel alignment along Trailsway, and removes of the existing concrete cunette section of Castle Creek which would provide flood mitigation and ecological enhancement. The improvements are outside of active mowed park space. These proposed flood solutions on Castle Creek provide an opportunity to make improvements to the corridor as recommended within the Warner Lagoon Water Quality Plan, finalized in 2021 in conjunction with a variety of stakeholders, including the Parks Division and approved by the Board of Parks Commission in Legistar File #64906.
There will be tree impacts in around the concrete cunette, but impacts to healthy native trees will be minimized as much as possible. Ecological benefits will be seen from removing the concrete channel, removing invasive species, planting native species, and constructing vernal pools. This project is being designed to minimize sediment transport into the lagoon.
The project is being coordinated with Parks staff working on the Warner SE Recreation Area Improvements project.