Wetland mitigation improves Jordan River

The expansion of the Eigenmann Hall parking lot is not only diminishing the time students will spend circling parking lots, but also part of the Jordan River, which runs through where the new pavement is set to be poured.

To help compensate for this loss of the natural wetlands, IU has hired local sub-contractor Eco Logic to design a stream mitigation project along the Jordan River near the Wright Education Building and the Jordan Avenue Garage.

According to IU Environmental Health and Safety Specialist Michael J. Dorsett, it is a requirement for the University to mitigate the stream disturbance.

The mitigation site is already blooming, and Eco Logic is confident the local ecosystem will continue to thrive.

“The habitat that existed beside Eigenmann was very degraded and dominated by nonnative Tall Fescue grass,” said Rachel Powers, Eco Logic GIS Specialist and Restoration Ecologist. “This type of low-quality habitat does not support very much wildlife and the majority of species — fish, birds and small mammals — will be able to find new niches in the habitat downstream.”

With help from School of Public and Environmental Affairs students, Eco Logic kicked off the project April 22 by installing about 3,000 plants, including native wetland sedges, native prairie grasses and wildflowers.

In addition, the construction of the mitigation entails conveying a portion of the Jordan River through concrete pipes underneath the new pavement. To diminish the effects of stream bank erosion, matting and coconut logs were placed in the wetland project along with seeding, tree plantings and other control measures.

The location of the mitigation site is beneficial for the local ecosystem because it provides flood control and absorption of pollutants such as nitrate, and students can use it as an outdoor classroom, Powers said.

“Another benefit of this stream mitigation project is the plant species that were installed at the mitigation site were chosen to increase biodiversity,” she said. “The neat thing about the mitigation project is that this newly created habitat will be capable of supporting a wider range of wildlife species that were not previously using the Jordan River.”