ANN ARBOR – The American Society of Civil Engineers has named the City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioners Office the recipients of its “Michigan Section Quality of Life Award.”
The award recognizes recent improvements to Benz Creek in the Huron Hills Golf Course, which flows through eight fairways. The creek is named for the family that donated land to Ann Arbor for the golf course nearly a century ago.
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The creek flowed through the course before stormwater management requirements existed as development expanded around the course. Over time, the creek detached from its floodplain after straightening and becoming deeper. Periodically, the course would experience flooding that would shut down play.
The City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County partnered with engineering consultants Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. on an improvement project to establish a meandering stream through restored wetlands and improve water quality. The $1.22 construction project lasted from September 2020 through June 2021 and was completed in two phases.
“The goals of this project were to fix flooding issues and improve water quality,” reads a city release. “The unique design addressed the flooding problem while adding features that improved wetland habitat and flood conveyance capacity. These developments enhanced the design and playability while reducing rain shut down events on the golf course.”
Huron Hills Golf Course is located at 3465 E. Huron River Dr.
For more information, visit www.huronhillsgolf.com.