Lilly Run Plan: Flood Control, Educational Area
Havre de Grace recently received a $100,000 grant to improve Lilly Run.
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The field hockey field at Havre de Grace High School may soon be converted to an environmental area impacting a number of Havre de Grace residents.
While completing the entire Lilly Run project may cost around $20 million, a $100,000 grant would cover a key section outlined in an engineering study by URS.
That portion—featured in the image above—would cut down on the nutrients Lilly Run deposits into the bay and address flooding issues in locations around town, according to John Van Gilder, project coordinator and city spokesman.
See the PDF version of a high-resolution plan for the featured section of Lilly Run included with this post. Read more » on Lilly Run & Havre de Grace government
The holding area would be a re-created stream bed, with man-made turns to allow for sediment and nutrients to settle out. The area surrounding the stream would be graded out into a bowl shape to allow for flood water to build up behind a weir, which Van Gilder described as a reverse dam—allowing normal stream conditions to flow unimpeded, but higher water to back up, creating a temporary pond.
"Most people see this and think it's going to be standing water all the time, and a mosquito pond and whatever," Van Gilder said. "It's going to be a winding stream, and if it ever does fill up to this point, it's very temporary. In eight hours, 10 hours, whatever, it's going to be dry again and back to its level."
That function should prevent flooding downstream in the Juniata and Otsego street corridor, Van Gilder said.
On most days, the area behind the weir will be a picturesque and effective natural filter for the water.
By utilizing strategic planting of grasses and trees, the water coming into the holding area section, where it will meander through man-made turns, will be cleaner on the way out.
"It's going to spend a little more time in there. There are certain plants that really absorb things," Van Gilder said.
Building habitats for local species—including platforms for osprey and other wildlife—is also under consideration, Van Gilder said.
The path from Lewis Lane near the middle school and activity center that extends to the high school would be re-routed over a new walkway, complete with an observation platform.
The pathway would also ring around the holding area, and cross Lilly Run at the weir behind the grandstand at James R. Harris Stadium. From there, the walkway would parallel the Amtrak line and link the Lewis Lane area with the city's downtown district.
The culvert under the former stadium field—which is a primary pinch-point for the flow of Lilly Run during heavy rains—would be replaced, Van Gilder said. That element of the project would help to alleviate flooding along Revolution Street near Bloomsbury Avenue, which, conceivably, would improve the flow of water back into the Baybrook neighborhood.
The holding area proposal would eliminate the field that borders Lilly Run—currently used for high school field hockey. It would be replaced by a new multi-purpose field, to be built along Lilly Run between the 90-foot baseball field and the middle school.
Patch will provide continuing coverage on the Lilly Run project. Have a question or a story idea for the series? Email sean.welsh@patch.com
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Havre de Grace High School
700 Congress Ave, Havre de Grace, MD -
Havre de Grace City Hall
711 Pennington Ave, Havre de Grace, MD -
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Andrew
2:15 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
This is from 2008, the new High School building is also supposed to fit somewhere on this site, it too will consume open space and create impervious surface. Will the SWM pond accommodate it as well? Why are the field facilities for the girls somehow ALWAYS available as surplus and never the boys, most specifically football? Just conscript that never used football field next to the Middle School parking lot for field hockey and leave the wooded area (itself a beneficial component of the ecosystem) alone. Has anyone ever used Field J, why not eliminate it? There really needs to be some coordination between this project and the new HS building; its just absurd to do this job without consideration of the impact of future construction.
Sean Welsh
2:21 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Andrew—
Harford County Public Schools (as well as Huber) is a partner on this project, being that it impacts land the school system owns. Though a new high school building is only theoretical at this point in time, I'm sure the potential for a new building will factor into future plans for the area. The environmental development to surround the Lilly Run project is being done with a potential curriculum benefit for students.
I'll quickly address Field J, as I'm the past varsity head coach for baseball at HHS: It has been used by the high school's JV baseball team as a practice field. The field wasn't at a high enough quality to be used for varsity or JV games, and the baseball program has a great partnership with the Little League to utilize Stancill Field for games. The field is being used—but not to its full capability.
Isn't Karma Special
10:15 am on Thursday, July 19, 2012
This weir project sounds great for all of us that get flooding I'm sorry but I am not concerned about a sport field that may have to be moved. The parents and children will adapt as they always have done.