Recently Forsyth County added a small solution to address minor flooding at Chattahoochee Pointe Park, with mixed results.
The Situation
Chattahoochee Pointe Park is located at the intersection of Dick Creek and the Chattahoochee River. Specifically, the park is a relatively flat flood plain, with some sections lower than others. The park is unique in the aspect that it is composed of crushed gravel and unpaved, meaning rain can make sections of it particularly slippery with major storms flooding even the parking lot.
The Solution
To solve some of the flooding in a low lying section closer to where Dick Creek and the Chattahoochee River intersect, they chose to install an elevated boardwalk. The Boardwalk is a few hundred meters in length and its width is closer to 8 ft rather than the full 12 ft width that most of their other parks have. This indeed allows users to bypass the muddiest section of the trail, as they were now elevated from the low point that posed the largest hazard as well as a few other spots where it became an inconvenience.
Mixed Results
While users can now dodge the sludge from heavy rains in this short section, the actual structure made things worse. The park offers crushed gravel paths, so when construction was in progress, the trail was progressively eroded and altered by work trucks and equipment. This went on for months, over a particularly wet and harsh winter, amplifying its effects. Furthermore, the structure and other aspects (like large rocks) have worsened the pooling in those areas that were already an issue. Despite layering fresh gravel on top of the hastily repaired trail, the section still has scars from the construction.
In the end, it's still a plus, but definitely could have finished sooner and smoothed out some other details. Regardless, check it out below:
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