This restoration project will improve urban water quality using filtration mechanisms to treat polluted stormwater runoff before it reaches Goose Creek. The environmental restoration project will include reshaping streambanks, installing native plants, and reducing stormwater pollution through a bioretention cell and step pools. These practices reduce the impacts of flash flooding and improve local and regional water quality. 

The Goose Creek Environmental Restoration Project is being funded by grants, private organizations, and by the City of Davenport. The City is grateful for generous contributions from the Arconic Foundation, Partners of Scott County Watersheds (PSCW), Iowa American Water, Scott County Regional Authority, the Land Water and Conservation Fund (LWCF), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS). Grant fundings includes a total of $555,000.00. 

A stormwater step pool, also known as a regenerative stormwater conveyance system, and a large bioretention cell will be installed near Goose Creek. These practices capture, treat, and slow the movement of stormwater runoff by filtering water as it seeps through a series of shallow pools located on the side of a streambank. The stormwater step pools allow water to settle and separate pollutants before continuing downstream. 

Like the stormwater step pools, a large bioretention cell will also be installed. Amended soil and native plants filter polluted stormwater through the soil profile and recharge local aquifers. The system uses gravity, plants, and innovative designs to filter and manage stormwater, promoting clean water, safe outdoor recreation, and protecting our natural resources.

» Stormwater, or rainwater that sheds off the landscape, collects pollutants from impervious surfaces such as roads, rooftops, and sidewalks. These pollutants damage local ecosystems. These systems will reduce damaging contaminants.

The Goose Creek Environmental Restoration Project will improve more than just the water. A new natural playscape is also planned at Goose Creek Park. Instead of a traditional playground, a natural playscape allows children to explore nature more directly with the use of logs, wood planks, rocks, and plants incorporated into the design. This design encourages imagination and fosters a connection between children and nature as they play. 

The Goose Creek Restoration project aligns with Phase 2 of the Goose Creek Trail expansion currently underway. A new limestone trail will allow trail users to safely and efficiently access Goose Creek Park from the larger Goose Creek Trail. The use of limestone is intentional; limestone is permeable and allows water to soak into the ground, instead of stormwater shedding off into the waterway.

A series of interpretive signs will be installed around Goose Creek Park as part of the project. The signs will highlight new, natural amenities throughout the park and explain the functions of various stormwater practices. Several signs will also detail the history of Goose Creek and the importance of restoring the creek to a natural, healthy state. Be on the lookout for the signs in 2026!

Segments of Goose Creek have experienced significant streambank erosion over recent decades, and a large gully has formed. Streambank stabilization practices planned as part of the Goose Creek Restoration project will reinforce and strengthen the banks to minimize future erosion. Streambank stabilization practices also protect adjacent land and reduce excess sediment loading into the waterway, which can be detrimental to the viability of local aquatic species.

Floodplain benching is a stream restoration technique that creates natural “benches” or shelves to safely hold excess stormwater during heavy rainfall events. Floodplain benches give the channel adequate room to expand and slow the flow of stormwater during large storms. Native plant species, often used in floodplains, are planted here to support a healthy ecosystem and create new habitat. 

The Goose Creek Restoration project will showcase new groves of trees and native prairie plants. Native plant species are adapted to Iowa’s climate conditions and provide critical habitat for birds and pollinators in the stream corridor. Trees and prairie plants are excellent flood mitigation controls, too, due to their deep root system below the ground surface that holds soil in place and quickly infiltrates rainwater. As the prairie grows and matures, native species are able to outcompete invasive plants and colorful wildflowers will contribute to a healthier ecosystem.