Capaha Park Pond Dredging and Restoration

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Project Description

Capaha Park Pond Dredging and Restoration

The City of Cape Girardeau retained Intuition & Logic (I&L) to design lake improvements for Capaha Park Pond to restore the pond to historic depths and aquatic functions. I&L performed alternatives analysis through final plans, specifications, and construction document preparation. This project includes pond dredging, sediment forebay design, bank stabilization and erosion protection, fish habitat creation, aquatic shelf design, and water quality analysis and design. The pond design was coordinated with Planning Design Studio (PDS), Cape Girardeau Park Department’s Landscape Architect, who was designing park wide trails, facilities, and amenities improvements.
Capaha Pond is a 3 Acre pond and a major feature of Capaha Park. The original depth was approximately eleven (11) feet.  Today the pond has an average depth of three and a half (3.5) feet with little to no aquatic habitat and regular algae blooms. Existing site features also include two (2) islands, five (5) storm sewer outfalls, one outlet / overflow structure, and a walking path around the outer edge of the pond.  Capaha Park Pond is supported by an eighty-five (85) acres drainage area of park, commercial, and residential land use.
I&L developed an alternatives analysis with cost estimates to assist the City’s decision making as we worked within the targe budget for the project.  This included breaking up the dredging into multiple scenarios and evaluating the benefit provided by each successive dredging area added, versus the potential cost. Other amenities were also evaluated including natural and man-made fish habitat, pond edge treatments, outfall facades, and vegetation plantings. Water quality improvements were evaluated for constructability and maintenance considerations.  Options included sediment forebays, hydrodynamic separators, and a debris forebay.
The bid documents were prepared with a base bid to establish an average water depth of 6 ft with Bid Alternatives to excavate additional deep pools in up to 5 areas of the pond. Aquatic habitat improvements included spawning beds, rock piles, log piles, submerged tree, and root wad refuges.  Vegetated shelves were added around the pond perimeter with gaps placed for fishing access located near some of the predator habitats.  Sediment and debris forebays were constructed at the two major outfalls into the pond to help collect trash and litter before it enters the lake.  The forebays were armored with Flexamat concrete armoring to make sediment removal maintenance easier.
The City ultimately selected all of the recommended habitat, vegetation, and pond edge treatments and were able to use all of the dredging alternatives.

Project Details

Key Personnel:

  • Tim Dean, PE, LEED AP, CFM
  • Matt Auld, PE, ENV SP
  • Mark Meyer, PE, CFM

 

Project Features:

  • Pond Dredging
  • Aquatic Habitat
  • Pond Design
  • Shoreline Erosion Protection
  • Water Quality Analysis and Design
  • Alternatives Analysis
  • Final Design, Plans, Specifications
  • Permitting

 

Year:

  • Design 2020
  • Construction 2021 -2022