Pierson Drain Phase II hopes to curb neighborhood flooding

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Monday, Mayor Sharon Tucker visited the Caribe Colony neighborhood to kick off Phase II of the Pierson Drain Stormwater initiative. It aims to focus on diminishing and eliminating neighborhood flooding.

City Utilities calls the project vital and says it caught the attention of the Great Lakes Commission and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who contributed separate grant funding toward its implementation.

City Utilities released the following:

Representatives of the agencies joined Mayor Tucker, neighborhood residents, and City Utilities’ project managers to break ground on the work that will replace two culverts and build an improved channel in the form of a two-stage ditch.

“The Pierson Drain improvements will make a lasting and meaningful impact for residents and neighborhoods in the surrounding area,” said Mayor Tucker. “Having high-trust partnerships with multiple agencies on this project is a demonstration of the importance of working together to improve the quality of life in Fort Wayne. City Utilities continues to invest in initiatives that benefit our community.”

Phase II will target an area between Old Maysville Road and just north of Lake Avenue, where culverts and a two-stage ditch will be constructed. The area has been prone to flooding for many years, often causing damage to homes and the temporary closing of Lake Avenue and nearby streets during some of those floods.

The two-stage ditch is a channel that increases capacity, is designed to keep floodwaters within the banks, and serves as a conduit that will limit the potential for downstream pollution. The first stage is deep and meandering and carries the ordinary water level. The second stage is higher and will broaden out to mimic a natural floodplain zone, allowing water to spread out and slow down. The ditch banks will be planted with native vegetation which will protect wildlife habitats and provide better bank stability, reducing maintenance concerns. The planned changes will improve stormwater flow, reduce streambank erosion, and absorb nutrients preventing excess nutrients and pollution from flowing downstream to the Maumee River.

Besides the culvert installed under Lake Avenue, additional work will occur south of Caribe Colony with a new culvert installation under the Rivergreenway at the Maumee River.

“Pierson Drain flows to the Maumee River and out to Lake Erie. Flooding and backups here affect not only nearby neighborhoods, but they also carry debris and pollution out to the Great Lakes,” said Erika Jensen, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Commission. “This project will help manage flooding risks while reducing sediment and nutrient flow, making a positive impact on water quality and ecosystem health.”

“As part of the mission of the National Fish Passage Program, the USFWS was excited to support the Pierson Drain enhancement project in combination with several others in the City of Fort Wayne. These partnerships and projects align with our goals of opening fish and aquatic organism passage for the health and resiliency of the streams and species within,” said Jocelynne Samu-Pittard, Biologist, USFWS Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office

The project investment is $1,852,454.77 with the Great Lakes Commission funding $175,000 and US Fish and Wildlife Service funding $400,000. City Utilities stormwater fund will pick up the remaining project investment.

This is Phase II of a VII Phase project along the Pierson Drain. When the multiphase improvements are completed, six neighborhoods with 600 homes, more than 400 multi-family homes and four apartment complexes will have additional protection from flooding.

Phase II is expected to wrap up in about a year, late fall of 2025.