The remnants of Hurricane Ivan tore through the Lehigh Valley in September 2004, causing major flooding on small streams throughout the region. A College Hill neighborhood just north of campus sustained considerable damage from runoff rushing down the hill from Forks Township above. Discussions with State Representative Bob Freeman and the Bushkill Stream Conservancy led to the idea of developing a portion of Sullivan Park (poorly used and always wet from existing springs) into a constructed stormwater detention wetland. Lafayette Civil & Environmental Engineering students (class of 06 and 07) turned the idea into a conceptual plan. In collaboration with the Northampton County Conservation District and the City of Easton, PADEP and PADCNR grants were obtained for final design and construction, which began in August 2009 and was completed in spring 2010. Class of 2010 students developed a monitoring plan for the wetland, and the class of 2011 helped plant it. Class of 2013 students installed a V-notch weir for measuring inflow, and several honors thesis students have collected data on nutrient and flow dynamics at the wetland. This project was successfully completed through the efforts of many partners, but particularly the City of Easton, Bushkill Stream Conservancy, the Northampton County Conservation District, and the help of many students. As a fitting reward for all these efforts, the park won the state-wide 2014 Green Parks Award! (Laf pics here)

See below for a pictorial timeline: