Chesterton, IN-With the extensive amount of rain that has fallen in the past couple of weeks, Coffee Creek Center's innovative stormwater management system was definitely put to the test, and proved to be very successful.
The "level spreader" system present at Coffee Creek is a system of leaky pipes installed throughout a native prairie that replaces conventional retention ponds with a system that infiltrates and utilizes water within the landscape. Water is infiltrated deeply into the ground through native root systems that can be over 15 feet long. After a period of weeks or even months, the cleaner water slowly seeps into Coffee Creek creating a healthier stream that better supports a variety of landscape and animal habitat. This interaction helps create much more consistent flow rates and temperatures than seen in waterways following the introduction of buildings or in former natural areas. With the level spreader system, water is treated as a resource rather than a waste product. According to Charles Howard, Project Engineer and President of Howard Design, Inc., out of Austin, Texas, "The level spreaders are working exactly how we planned. Within the next five to seven years, our data, which will include flow rates, percolation rates, and quality of stormwater, will allow us to prove that the level spreaders have a better impact on the environment when compared to traditional means." Don Ewoldt, Director of Resource Management for Lake Erie Land Company, stated, "During a storm, you can see where the excess water is overflowing out of the top of a level spreader and then watch it flow down to the next one that is exactly one foot lower in elevation. They are definitely working exactly as they should." With up to 2,000 residential units and over 3 million square feet of commercial, office and retail space slated for Coffee Creek Center, water management is vital to the ecological health of the community. For more information, please visit www.coffeecreekcenter.com.