Carpenter Creek Stream Restoration

Carpenter Creek Stream Restoration project is located within the Jelkes Creek — Fox River Watershed (JCFRW) in the Village of Carpentersville, Illinois is approximately 2.6 miles of perennial stream with a mapped Zone A floodplain and is tributary to the Fox River. Fox River within the JCFRW is impaired for the designated uses of aquatic life and fish consumption. Portions of Carpenter Creek were identified as having highly eroded stream banks that were failing, putting several residential structures, roads, and parking lots at risk while contributing significant amounts of sediment and nutrients to the Fox River. The Village and the Design-Build team of HR Green/Applied Ecological Services partnered to study and remap the existing

Zone A floodplain as well as address the stream erosion and water quality. The improvements to Carpenter Creek consisted of approximately 4,600 linear feet of bank stabilization, grade control structures, two-stage channels, wetland creation, and over 9 acres of native vegetation. Public education and outreach were completed as part of the design. Through a partnership with adjacent businesses and residents, the channel was also relocated away from its original alignment where the residential structures were previously threatened. As a result, the floodplain was remapped through the Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) process and helped remove approximately 40 properties from the regulatory floodplain. Creative funding sources were utilized to fund the project which includes EPA Section 319 federal grant, developer fee-in-lieu contributions, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding, and Village’s in-kind and cash contributions. Carpenter Creek project is an example of sustainable design, a collaboration between the Village and impacted stakeholders, utilizing creative funding sources to reduce Village’s local match, and meeting multiple objectives in a cost-effective manner.