Senior civil engineering students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are taking a fresh look at the perpetual flooding issue at Dry Creek in Healy.
The project is part of an ongoing collaboration that allows students to tackle real life projects and benefit the community at the same time. The study will serve as their required senior project and perhaps assist the Denali Borough in finding a way to prevent future flooding in that area.
“Engineering is often the simple part,” said Lauren Little of the Alaska Department of Transportation in Fairbanks, who helps coordinate this collaboration. “Getting from the problem statement to the construction solution is not a straight line. It’s good to get some exposure to that.”
Nathan Belz, the engineering professor who oversees the student, said he is excited to see how the project progresses.
“I’m interested to see what they come up with,” he said. “I try to stay out of it as much as possible, but provide guidance and tips. I let them take the reins. I want them to be able to show what they’ve gained in technical knowledge and practical knowledge.”
The UAF Engineering Department has participated in these real-life projects for many years throughout the Interior.
“One great example on the UAF campus is all the enclosed transit shelters,” Belz said. “Those were designed by a senior design group.”
The four students who selected the Dry Creek project already have an interest in water resources and hydrology. They are Caitlynn Hanna, Davis Schwarz, Michael Montuya and Cathryn Petersen.
“It’s a nice thing to pair them up with a sub-discipline of civil engineering that they are interested in,” Belz said. “That way, they’re more excited about it.”
Dry Creek usually runs dry when it reaches Healy. But occasionally, especially when it rains heavily, the creek overflows its banks. In 2019, the Denali Borough declared the area a disaster when above-average rainfall resulted in massive flooding. Floodwaters caused damage to “public, state maintained and private roads, in addition to private properties in the Healy area,” the mayor said at the time. It also exposed buried utilities and damaged the Usibelli tipple road bridge.
That year, floodwaters covered both Killian Road and Ranch Road. Himalaya Drive was washed out. An earlier memorable flood occurred in 2008.
Previous proposed solutions include diverting the creek and/or armoring the bank with rip-rap.
“There are a lot of different ways to tackle this project,” Belz said. “There are a fair amount of unknowns.”
Students are busy gathering information on the project and also intend to host a local public forum on the issue.
“That’s the nature of civil engineering,” Belz said. “If you put in a culvert or a dam, it has direct impact on people and their livelihood and their daily lives, so you have to take that into consideration.”
Whatever the students propose, those measures will surely impact anyone near the creek.
The students are expected to complete a final presentation by end of April. They are encouraged to think outside the box.
“The point of this project is that it will actually be used,” Belz said. “Hopefully the package they put together can either go to DOT or the borough and they can build on that.”
Chris Noel is the emergency services director for the Denali Borough and has been providing students with historical information about Dry Creek. He said it is exciting to work with the students, who are eager to tackle the project.
“Our hope is that this and future efforts help to paint the picture of flooding risk adjacent to Dry Creek, to inform current and prospective landowners,” he said. “A draft design will also provide the borough additional information as we consider potential mitigation projects.”
The borough certainly welcomes any recommendations to stem flooding from the creek, the mayor said.
