Stormwater

Watershed Management Plan (2023)

The City is working with engineering firm Intuition & Logic to develop a citywide Watershed Management Plan to plan for future stormwater infrastructure improvements. This project is funded by the city's Parks and Stormwater Sales Tax, and will include several opportunities for public input including a questionnaire and a series of open houses.

What is a watershed? A watershed is like a bathtub. A bathtub has one drain, and, in a way, so does a watershed. A watershed is an area of land where water that doesn’t evaporate or infiltrate into the ground will eventually find its way to one point. That point can be a creek, stream, river, lake, reservoir, or an ocean.

The City of Creve Coeur has two watersheds, Creve Coeur Creek and Deer Creek. The Creve Coeur Creek watershed is roughly the area west of I-270. The Deer Creek watershed is roughly the area east of I-270. You can learn more about watersheds at the National Geographic website or the National Ocean Service (NOAA) website.

Students from a local elementary school were learning about the water cycle and shared a glossary of terms with us. They learned a lot from this website, and we hope you and your family do too.

Stormwater Questionnaire

Report your stormwater issues on the map! Through the online questionnaire, residents can mark stormwater problems they've seen or experienced on a map to help the city identify and prioritize future projects. The more information gathered, the more effective the Watershed Management Plan will be at delivering solutions that could reduce flood risks and help protect homes, yards, streams and streets. 

Alternatively, individuals who wish to complete the questionnaire over the phone may call 314-872-2533 for staff assistance.

Open Houses

As part of the planning process, residents are invited to attend the upcoming Watershed Management Open House on May 17, 2023. The focus of the second open house will be the analysis of the collected data and a more in-depth discussion about the scoring system.

  • Open House #1: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 • 6:30-8:00 p.m. • Creve Coeur Government Center, Multipurpose Room (300 N. New Ballas Rd.)
  • Open House #2: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 • 6:00-7:30 p.m. • Creve Coeur Government Center, Multipurpose Room (300 N. New Ballas Rd.) 
  • Open House #3: TBA

Open House #1 Materials

  • Creve Coeur SWMP Creek Condition Assessment Study Reaches - I&L engineers walked and assessed the condition of each of the creeks shown on the map.
  • Channel Condition Scoring Matrix - The Channel Condition Scoring Matrix shows the criteria that was used to consistently score all the creeks shown on the Creve Coeur SWMP study reaches map. 
  • Open House #1 Presentation - The Open House #1 Presentation gives an overview of the Watershed Management Plan's goals & objectives, study components, data collection efforts, and prioritization ranking methodology. 
  • Prioritization Ranking  - The Prioritization Ranking will be used consistently across the City and over time to quantify the risks of identified stormwater management issues. 
  • Stormwater Issue Spectrum - The Stormwater Issue Spectrum shows examples of stormwater issues ranging from low risk to high risk. 

Open House #2 Materials

SITE VISITS

During the next few months, residents can expect to see City staff and Intuition & Logic engineers visiting known stormwater issue sites and walking creeks and streams in order to gather additional information for the Watershed Management Plan.

Report a concern

Do you have a stormwater concern that you would like the City to investigate? If so, please contact the Department of Public Works at (314) 872-2533, or fill out an online service request form by clicking here.  

FEMA Resources

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) protects U.S. residents against the hardships of flooding. To learn more about the NFIP and how it can help you, please read the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) brochure Answers to Questions about the NFIP. Even if your home is not in a high-risk flood zone, you may benefit from having flood insurance. On average, 40% of NFIP flood insurance claims are outside high-risk flood areas. Learn more with the Why Do I Need Flood Insurance brochure. 

FEMA has information specifically for renters in the Flood Insurance for Renters brochure. If you live in a condo, you may want to read the brochure Flood Insurance for Condominium Associations. 

Stormwater Master Plan (2012)

The Stormwater Committee updated the city's Stormwater Master Plan which was adopted on December 10, 2012, by the City Council. All documents are available at the Government Center. For questions, please contact Jim Heines, Director of Public Works, at (314) 872-2533.

Stormwater Tips

Stormwater management involves planning and accounting for how rain acts once it lands. The city encourages its residents to incorporate good stormwater management practices into their property maintenance and improvement projects.

To this end, the city’s Stormwater Committee has compiled stormwater management advice for homeowners.

MSD Project Clear - Stormwater Tips

Property Maintenance

  • Make sure your gutters are cleaned regularly.
  • Direct downspouts away from your home’s foundation so that stormwater flows away from your home.

Vegetation and Trees

  • Add compost to landscape areas to promote plant roots and water soaking into the ground.
  • Consider native grasses and plants that have extensive root systems.
  • Add trees to your yard to provide a canopy over paved surfaces.  This will provide shade, will spread out rain, and will promote stormwater infiltration and evaporation.
  • Add a rain garden or a bio swale to help soak up stormwater and limit runoff.
  • Add a rain barrel to one of your downspouts to collect stormwater for watering plants.

Improvement Projects

  • Consider making new pathways, parking areas, or driveways out of permeable pavers so that some of the rain that hits these surfaces will soak into the ground.
  • Landscaping professionals, landscape architects, and engineers can provide advice and designs for how your project can manage stormwater through grading, plantings, and best-management practices.
  • Several local and state agencies provide guidance for stormwater management on their websites:

The Stormwater Committee welcomes attendance at its meetings, where residents can discuss their concerns and seek advice from the Committee. The Stormwater Committee meets every other month. The city’s meeting calendar can be found here. 

WMP Questionnaire