Flooding & Erosion Study

The Ohio River shapes this project in profound and powerful ways. Climate change models suggest the Ohio River’s mean streamflow will increase. The same models suggest that the frequency of major flood events will also increase in number and duration. Discussions and studies of the Ohio River’s hydrology at this site with our partners at the Corps of Engineers taught the OLIN design team one paramount lesson - this site is incredibly complex, dynamic, and ever-changing. We are attempting to build a park on a massive river where it expresses some of its rawest and most unrestrained power.

The Flooding & Erosion study sets the stage for our team’s approach in both responding to the impact of climate change – more extreme water levels – and thinking through the realities of designing a space that will align with existing infrastructure that controls the river in the project area. There is a big lesson in here. If action isn’t taken to stabilize the Ohio River’s North Shoreline, erosion will inevitably continue, if not accelerate threatening landfills, cultural resources, recreational access, and rare urban ecosystems.