City consultants report 8.49 acres of disturbance at Spring Creek Preserve, outline staged remediation

Consultants from Kimley Horn told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board the team measured 8.49 acres of disturbance in the Spring Creek Forest Preserve and presented a prioritized remediation plan.

"So now our by our calculations, our total disturbed area, is 8.49 acres," said Carlin Holstead, who leads the consultant's DFW environmental team. Holstead said that figure includes 3.79 acres of cleared corridor and about 4.7 acres of piled vegetation.

The consultants laid out a three‑tier priority: (1) remove trail blockages by hand to restore connectivity (immediate), (2) remove and/or chip larger debris piles using limited equipment to minimize repeated traffic (intermediate), and (3) address tributary blockages once larger piles are cleared. They recommended using small hauling equipment and chippers and leaving some large logs in place to preserve nutrients.

For erosion control the team recommended installing erosion control mats in identified tributary crossings and on steep exposed slopes rather than hard measures such as riprap, which they said could cause additional disturbance. The team observed that much vegetation is naturally regenerating and said tree planting is not recommended initially; revegetation and planting will be evaluated later in the implementation plan.

Consultants proposed a monitoring plan contracted to a third party: an initial monitoring event three months after remediation and then monitoring every six months for 18 months, with adaptive management and corrective actions as needed. The city will develop an access plan that sets approved routing, restrictions and points of contact before equipment enters the preserve.