A plan to clean up Ox Creek and restore its wildlife habitat has been presented to the Benton Harbor Planning Commission as the city seeks state permits to begin the work.

Planners this week heard from Scott Dierks of GEI consultants, who went over some of the history of contamination in Ox Creek. He said for decades, trash was dumped into the creek, engineering projects disrupted the natural flow of the creek, and industrial and commercial runoff polluted the creek. This means it will take some time to restore it to its former glory.

“So the vision, as expressed by the city of Benton Harbor, is to create this vibrant corridor, a recreational corridor, a draw for citizens, a place for people to get down to the water to educate, experience nature as it used to be,” Dierks said.

Dierks said the draft restoration plan being presented focuses on Ox Creek between Highland and Britain Avenues, while a later plan will focus on Britain to Napier.

Dierks said engineering work done decades ago drove away native wildlife and allowed invasive plants to take over. They will have to be removed.

“Many, many decades ago, the creek was straightened and widened, right? So it was basically there were flooding problems downtown. And so a lot of the work  to try to mitigate that really just, I guess you’d say, changed the fundamental shape, change the habitat for the worse.”

Another challenge will be the bottom of the creek near Hall Park, where Dierks said it’s very flat, which reduces the movement of water and sediment.

Dierks said the last few years have been very hopeful for Ox Creek as around $8 million in grants have been awarded to the city and partners to restore it. The draft habitat restoration plan will cost about $1 million. He said the goal is to get permits so work can begin in the fall. If all goes well, the project could be complete next spring.