Cross section survey of a selected reach of Plaster Creek and Little Plaster Creek, Kentwood, MI, 2018

The City of Kentwood (MI) has been faced with repetitive flooding from Plaster Creek near the intersection of Shaffer Avenue SE and 36th Street SE. Nearby businesses and public and private property are at risk for flood damage; as well as degradation of public infrastructure including bridges, exposure of subsurface sanitary sewer lines, and damage to storm water systems. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, would like to develop a management plan through the use of a hydraulic model of the impacted river reaches. To support this effort, topographic and bathymetric surveys of Plaster Creek, Little Plaster Creek, and associated bridges and structures are needed. During the summer of 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey collected this data, which consisted of 43 riverine cross section surveys, bridge and roadway elevations, and a survey of a levee structure on Plaster Creek and Little Plaster Creek.