“The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.”
Beginnings
Fish Creek Restoration LLC grew out of a passion to restore river ecosystems. Ben Lee, the manager of Fish Creek Restoration LLC, first developed an interest in river restoration during college. His first hands-on experience with stream restoration was in North Fish Creek, a tributary to Lake Superior in Wisconsin. Due to changing land use and modification of the river, the system experienced significant degradation. The legacy of these impacts remains profound today, as does Ben’s desire to improve the health of our rivers and streams. It was in Fish Creek that Ben’s interest in stream restoration was rooted. That interest became a passion, and it is why Ben founded Fish Creek Restoration LLC - to maximize stream ecosystem functions through sound river engineering design.
Experience
Manager/Water Resources Engineer
Ben Lee, PE
Ben is a professional engineer with 14 years of experience assessing, surveying, designing, and overseeing construction of river and stream restoration projects. He has always loved and felt drawn to the outdoors – a fact that makes his work seem fun. He has a broad range of expertise, with a foundation in the hydraulics and geomorphology of rivers, and knowledge of ecological functions and habitat requirements. He has completed channel assessments and designs in the mountain rivers of the Pacific Northwest, the diverse glacial-derived stream systems of the Midwest, and the fragmented rivers of New England. Ben has been involved with over 100 stream restoration projects including dam removal, river re-meander, bluff stabilization, coldwater habitat enhancement, and urban stream rehabilitation. When he is not on the water, you can find him with his wife, Rachel, chasing after their three young children; preferably outdoors.
Ben’s notable Project Experience
Kinnickinnic River-Pulaski Park (Milwaukee, WI): Designed the removal and replacement of an 1,800-ft long section of concrete channel with a naturalized river and floodplain. The project involved coordinating channel design with utility relocations, new pedestrian paths, and park amenities.
Boardman River Dam Removals (Traverse City, MI): Three hydroelectric dams on the Boardman River were no longer in use. They impaired habitat and passage for coldwater fishes. Ben provided channel design, hydraulic modeling, sediment management planning, and construction observation for the three removal projects.
Swamp Creek Hydraulic Study (Mole Lake, WI): Swamp Creek delivers water and drains the historically productive wild rice crop in Rice Lake. Ben completed a field assessment and developed a hydraulic model to identify factors influencing habitat conditions in the lake. His recommendations included culvert replacements that have led to improved habitat and wild rice abundance in the lake.
Whittlesey Creek Large Wood Habitat Enhancement (Ashland, WI): Whittlesey Creek has experienced significant aquatic habitat damage due to deforestation, altered land use, and channelization. To improve conditions for brook trout, Ben designed and oversaw construction for the installation of over 600 logs that have transformed the stream. Water depths have increased substantially along with the presence of gravels that are important for spawning and macroinvertebrate habitat.
Sand Creek Near Channel Sediment Reduction (Jordan, MN): Channel incision on Sand Creek has resulted in the erosion of 100’+ tall bluffs adjacent to the stream. Ben created a channel stabilization design using natural materials to jump-start channel recovery.
Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Master of Science, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Professional Registrations
• Professional Engineer: WI, MI, MN
• Member ASCE