A Fair River Returns
By: Michael Buechter, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
The St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) recently recognized the $92-million renovation and river restoration in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri with an Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award.
To many St. Louis residents and 12 million annual visitors, Forest Park, founded in 1876, symbolizes the heart and soul of the city. One of the largest urban parks in the nation at 1,370 acres, Forest Park is home to the region's major cultural institutions including the zoo, art museum, history museum, science center, and the Municipal Opera Theater.
Sadly, the park's landscaping began deteriorating when construction activities for the 1904 World's Fair temporarily moved its defining feature - the River des Peres underground. By 1930, this river that flooded periodically was diverted into two permanent horseshoe shaped tunnels leaving behind lakes and lagoons with no hydraulic connection to each other or the river. By the early 1980s, the park's landscaping had fallen into disrepair. In 1993, the city passed a sales tax for park maintenance and began developing a restoration master plan.
During the master plan and schematic design phase, the planners recognized that the vanished surface of the River des Peres and its surrounding bottomlands, bluffs, and upland areas historically defined the park's spatial character. Long submerged in concrete sewer pipes, the River Des Peres could not be restored. The planners recognized, however, that by connecting the existing lakes and lagoons, a new linear waterway could mimic the original river system.
The park's limited slope challenged the designers. While the upstream waterway drops 10 feet, the downstream portion only drops four feet. Despite the small slopes, the design team created many riffles and waterfall features by using recirculation systems to increase the flow and velocity. The design also reduces dependency on city water. Prior to the renovation, park maintenance fed almost 3 million gallons per day (mgd) of city water into the many separate water bodies. The design process has decreased city water usage to 1.5 mgd.
Also, the design integrates engineering technology into park aesthetics. Pump facilities blend with the landscape, yet are accessible for maintenance. Extra structural reinforcement enables the natural looking riffles to withstand storm event flows. Control structures such as weirs produce picturesque riffles and waterfalls. A concrete spillway at Post-Dispatch Lake has been converted into a twostage set of ADA-accessible footbridges with long weir structures of long flat rocks beneath them.
A significant part of the waterway system's reconstruction has been the restoration of the World's Fair nexus, a large area that encompasses the Grand Basin and Art Hill. Often referred to as the "heart of the park" the area has been reestablished as a gathering place. Promenades lined with elms, pavilions, and 40 to 60-foot high fountains contribute to a spectacular setting. This spectacular setting has transformed the area into a welcoming place to the citizens of St. Louis for their enjoyment and pleasure to last another 100- years.
Project Credits:
Owner: City of St. Louis Parks, Recreation and Forestry; Forest Park Forever
Engineering Team: David Mason And Associates; CH2M Hill; HOK; H3 Studio; Hydrodramatics; URS; The Saratoga Associates
Contractors: Kozeny-Wagner, Inc.; TGB Inc.; Schuster Engineering Inc.; Gateway Contractors; BSI Constructors Inc.
By: Michael Buechter, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
The St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) recently recognized the $92-million renovation and river restoration in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri with an Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award.
To many St. Louis residents and 12 million annual visitors, Forest Park, founded in 1876, symbolizes the heart and soul of the city. One of the largest urban parks in the nation at 1,370 acres, Forest Park is home to the region's major cultural institutions including the zoo, art museum, history museum, science center, and the Municipal Opera Theater.
Sadly, the park's landscaping began deteriorating when construction activities for the 1904 World's Fair temporarily moved its defining feature - the River des Peres underground. By 1930, this river that flooded periodically was diverted into two permanent horseshoe shaped tunnels leaving behind lakes and lagoons with no hydraulic connection to each other or the river. By the early 1980s, the park's landscaping had fallen into disrepair. In 1993, the city passed a sales tax for park maintenance and began developing a restoration master plan.
During the master plan and schematic design phase, the planners recognized that the vanished surface of the River des Peres and its surrounding bottomlands, bluffs, and upland areas historically defined the park's spatial character. Long submerged in concrete sewer pipes, the River Des Peres could not be restored. The planners recognized, however, that by connecting the existing lakes and lagoons, a new linear waterway could mimic the original river system.
The park's limited slope challenged the designers. While the upstream waterway drops 10 feet, the downstream portion only drops four feet. Despite the small slopes, the design team created many riffles and waterfall features by using recirculation systems to increase the flow and velocity. The design also reduces dependency on city water. Prior to the renovation, park maintenance fed almost 3 million gallons per day (mgd) of city water into the many separate water bodies. The design process has decreased city water usage to 1.5 mgd.
Also, the design integrates engineering technology into park aesthetics. Pump facilities blend with the landscape, yet are accessible for maintenance. Extra structural reinforcement enables the natural looking riffles to withstand storm event flows. Control structures such as weirs produce picturesque riffles and waterfalls. A concrete spillway at Post-Dispatch Lake has been converted into a twostage set of ADA-accessible footbridges with long weir structures of long flat rocks beneath them.
A significant part of the waterway system's reconstruction has been the restoration of the World's Fair nexus, a large area that encompasses the Grand Basin and Art Hill. Often referred to as the "heart of the park" the area has been reestablished as a gathering place. Promenades lined with elms, pavilions, and 40 to 60-foot high fountains contribute to a spectacular setting. This spectacular setting has transformed the area into a welcoming place to the citizens of St. Louis for their enjoyment and pleasure to last another 100- years.
Project Credits:
Owner: City of St. Louis Parks, Recreation and Forestry; Forest Park Forever
Engineering Team: David Mason And Associates; CH2M Hill; HOK; H3 Studio; Hydrodramatics; URS; The Saratoga Associates
Contractors: Kozeny-Wagner, Inc.; TGB Inc.; Schuster Engineering Inc.; Gateway Contractors; BSI Constructors Inc.