Daylighting Assessment for Moses Creek Assessing the Feasibility of Reconnecting Stevens Point, Wisconsin to the River Project Summary Community: Stevens Point, Wisconsin Technical Assistance: Reuse Assessment Current Use: State Highway Corridor Future Use: Mixed-Use Waterfront Development The city of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is in the planning stage of downtown redevelopment and is considering the opportunity to revitalize overlapping brownfield areas. The former Highway 10 corridor, which is overbuilt and separates downtown from the Wisconsin River, could be redesigned as a walkable, bikeable entry point to both downtown and the river. Moses Creek, a former slough that was diverted to a buried stormwater pipe in the 1980s, bisects a series of catalyst brownfield sites along the highway and could become a key asset to the project. Master-planning efforts have renewed public interest in connecting open spaces along the waterfront and honoring the historic "point" of Stevens Point, where Moses Creek and the Wisconsin River formerly met. Reestablishing Moses Creek as a natural open channel, commonly referred to as "daylighting," has the potential to enhance the aesthetic appeal of nearby trails, provide additional recreational opportunities to residents, and improve connectivity to downtown. The Community's Challenge Although restoring a stream to its natural state can provide additional benefits to the environment and the local community, the city recognizes that daylighting Moses Creek would require addressing challenges related to existing contamination and current institutional controls. Other challenges include understanding and maintaining adequate channel flow, which could increase complexity in design and create higher construction and maintenance costs. EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance In 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Land Revitalization Program provided contractor assistance to the city to conduct the Moses Creek Daylighting Feasibility Assessment. The assessment provides critical information to help evaluate the range of financial and practical issues that will impact the possible daylighting project. The assessment discusses the potential benefits of daylighting Moses Creek, and evaluates the environmental, technical, and regulatory challenges associated with the process. It also presents a conceptual plan and associated order-of- magnitude cost estimate for the most feasible daylighting option. Ultimately, the presence of residual environmental contamination and the lack of adequate natural flow may present significant challenges to the city's daylighting alternatives. While additional evaluation is needed to officially determine if daylighting Moses Creek is reasonable, the Feasibility Assessment provides the framework for informed decision-making by the community. Conceptual plan of the daylighted Moses Creek with restoration to the ecosystem along its banks For more information, contact Brian Kennedy, EPA Region 5 Brown fields Program, at kennedv.brian@epa.gov. The Squake - HiJtO'lC CttY C - formor't Mart; s>EPA United States Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization Environmental Protection Agency 560-F-20-009 ------- |