A 5-year flood event is a statistical way of calculating the chance of a flood event. The number translates to roughly a 20 percent chance of a flood occurring in any given year. Stormwater staff believe building a facility that handles a 5-year flood event will resolve most of the flooding problems around Chester Creek. However, the work that was done does not mean the creek will never flood again. After several public meetings, input from engineers, and a study of the area hydrology, several construction activities took place along Chester Creek from Thorpe Road to Schafer Road.
Erosion is one of the leading causes of the creek bottom filling up with debris and silt.
Placed an erosion blanket on the sides of the creek where it was dug up. Since fresh soil was exposed in the process of digging the channel deeper, a bio-degradable blanket was laid on the sides of the dry creek channel. Underneath the blanket the soil was hydroseeded. Grass will grow through this blanket giving it strength and helping to reduce erosion. The blanket will eventually biodegrade and leave the grass behind, which is exposed during dry seasons.