Arcadia Creek
Watershed Description
(Version I: March, 2003)

The Arcadia Creek Subwatershed lies within portions of Oshtemo Township and the City of Kalamazoo. This subwatershed flows mostly in an easterly direction, with the headwaters of Arcadia Creek starting west of 11th Street, in the southeastern portion of Oshtemo Township. The water course then flows through the western portion of the City of Kalamazoo, roughly parallel with Stadium Drive and on through to the downtown area before finally discharging to the Kalamazoo River. For much of its length into the city the railroad bed lies beside the creek. Over 6,300 of the approximately 10,971 acres in the Arcadia sub-watershed contribute no flow to the creek under any conditions. These non-contributing areas (areas that do not contribute water to the creek, but do contribute water to lakes and groundwater) are found within the western-most portion of the sub-watershed, in eastern Oshtemo Township and western Kalamazoo. During rainfall events approximately 4,600 acres contribute storm water to the creek from direct surface runoff and storm sewer connections. The drainage area includes land uses of approximately 42% urban, 45% open space and forest, 4% water/wetlands and 9% agriculture. Within the City of Kalamazoo portion of the subwatershed, curb and gutter systems direct storm water to storm sewers that collect, transport and discharge storm water into the creek. Virtually all 5.5 miles of the creek receive storm water contributions from lightly to heavily urbanized areas within the City of Kalamazoo.

A closer look at the flow path of the creek reveals that it first flows through a vegetated ditch, then is piped underground to emerge east of Drake Road into a small pond prior to discharging into another small channel. From there, the water course continues in a narrow channel, parallel to railroad tracks, through scrub vegetation and behind a mobile home community. The creek then flows through a wetland, through a City well field and into another ecologically disjunct area having uplands and wetlands with vegetation of a unique composition. The creek next passes under Stadium Drive, through the Kalamazoo Christian High School property then under Howard Street to Western Michigan University (WMU) property where it follows a series of shallow "S" curves passing back and forth under Stadium Drive (four times). Near WMU's Waldo Stadium additional storm water flow contributions from the WMU Goldsworth Valley pond and other WMU outlets enter the creek, where it is piped underground until emerging at Lovell Street and the Kalamazoo College campus. It is within this area that a pinch point, which periodically causes flooding, exists. Except for being piped under several roads the creek remains at the surface through this stretch, flowing within a constricted narrow, steep-sided channel with stone-lined banks. Piped under South Westnedge Avenue, the Creek emerges into a concrete-lined, open box channel to flow into a storm water detention pond at the Arcadia festival site. Overflow is then directed and conveyed underground to the discharge point at the Kalamazoo River approximately 0.2 miles away.