The Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Technical Advisory Committee recently received preliminary plans to reconstruct 1.5 miles of eroding banks along the Yellow River in Marshall County and Starke County.
Cardno representatives are designing the first five phases of the planned reconstruction with the primary goal of reducing sediment originating from the Yellow River. The Basin Development Commission identified that as the first step in a 40-year work plan to address increasing flooding issues in the Kankakee River Basin.
Other goals include reducing the grade of steep and collapsing banks; stabilizing banks with stone, wood, and native vegetation; increasing the water flow capacity of the Yellow River channel; and minimizing the entrance of heavy sediment into the waterway.
Commission member and Marshall County Surveyor Craig Cultice said in a press release that substantial input on the design details were discussed in a meeting Thursday and Cardno representatives expect to finalize designs by May 2021. The first construction phase can begin shortly thereafter.
