Gresham Smith Design Enhances Water Features at Birmingham’s Railroad Park
Gresham Smith is proud to announce that stormwater improvements are enhancing the signature water features at Railroad Park. The 19-acre green space sits in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Alabama, and is one of the community’s most widely enjoyed open spaces. The new Gresham Smith-designed recirculation system increases efficiency and reliability, reducing maintenance for the Railroad Park Foundation.
“Not only is Railroad Park a place the community enjoys visiting, but the park has also been an important economic driver for the city. Contributing our expertise in stormwater management, we recommended infrastructure improvements that will help the park continue to benefit Birmingham,” said Kent Hartzog, P.E., Senior Water Resources Engineer at Gresham Smith.
Water features, including a lake, wetland, ponds and streams, occupy nearly a third of the park’s surface area. A wetland pond at the east end of the park spills into a series of streams and ponds, ultimately emptying into a one-acre lake at the park’s west end. When the stormwater recirculation system, which pumps water from the lake back to the original pond, was not functioning properly, Gresham Smith assessed the system and developed a budget-friendly design solution for the Railroad Park Foundation.
Using experience from larger conveyance system projects, the Gresham Smith team selected robust, reliable equipment that will meet the unique challenges of the urban park. The automated system is designed to adjust operations in response to varied weather conditions and will last many years, reducing upkeep costs and maintenance for the non-profit’s park managers.
Gresham Smith’s Water + Environment market is involved in many water-related infrastructure improvement projects in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, covering all facets of water and wastewater conveyance and treatment systems.