Eel River “riffle” project to help hide long-time unsightly large water pipe
SOURCE: News release from Logansport Utiliies
The Logansport Utilities service board has approved a construction contract be awarded for a unique rock “riffle” project in the Eel River, helping to conceal a long-time pipe that crosses the waters.
W Enterprises, LLC out of Crawfordsville, Indiana was selected for the project with a bid of $68,020 – based on the suggestion from Dr. Jerry Sweeten, a local senior ecologist at Ecosystems Connections Institute.
Dr. Sweeten, who previously consulted on the safe removal of the two dams formally located in the Eel River in Logansport, has suggested the process of what’s referred to as “Newbury rock riffles” to help cover up a sixteen-inch water line that runs from the north to south banks of the river, utilizing rapids and riffles to build up natural materials to cover the pipe.
Newbury rock riffles are ramps or low weirs with long aprons made from riprap (a permanent layer of large, angular stone, cobbles, or boulders typically used to armor, stabilize, and protect the soil surface against erosion and scour in areas of concentrated flow or wave energy) that are constructed at intervals approaching natural riffle spacing.
The structures are built by placing rock fill within an existing channel. The upstream slope of the rock fill is typically much steeper than the downstream slope, which creates a longitudinal profile quite like natural riffles. This strategic placement of rocks and water movement process will allow sediment to naturally begin to build over the exposed water line and eventually covering it entirely.
The project has received its Indiana Department of Resources floodway permit and work is scheduled to begin November 4, 2024.
About Logansport Utilities is a municipal owned, board operated electric and water utility serving the city of Logansport and surrounding county areas in northern Indiana. Started in 1894, the utility offers carbon free electricity and clean water to more than 20,000 residents and businesses. LU continues to serve and drive redevelopment in the region. For more information about LU: logansportutilities.com