Ox Creek bisects the City of Benton Harbor in Berrien County, Michigan. Historically, the auto and die-casting industries have negatively impacted the watercourse. Ox Creek is presently listed as impaired by the State of Michigan. By the late 1960s, the City experienced significant depopulation and economic divestment, and the 2023 census indicates the current population is just below 9,000 with a median household income of $26,592, well below the state median of $69,183. The tax base has been reduced to a level that cannot support the required costs to maintain and improve the City and its assets. As a result, many grant funds have also been inaccessible to the community due to an inability to meet community matching requirements.
The Ox Creek corridor has the potential to become a central hub and a key asset for the City of Benton Harbor, in part because it includes both the City’s largest park, Hall Park, and the arts district. Restoration of this corridor would enhance recreational opportunities, promote economic development, and increase the potential for further housing development.
The community sees the restoration of Ox Creek as central to the overall revitalization of the City. Many indicators of poor conditions in Ox Creek can be linked to excess stormwater runoff volume. The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) and project partners obtained funding to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff entering Ox Creek. The two projects proposed are projected to capture, filter, and infiltrate 850,000 gallons of stormwater runoff, which will make strides in attaining watershed goals and total maximum daily load (TMDL) targets for Ox Creek. This project is an opportunity to work alongside a historically underserved community and begin to reverse the environmental toll that industry and disinvestment have taken on their City’s natural resources.
