The City of Columbus is considering renovating a section of its riverfront to make it safer for residents. The plan would make some parts of the river calmer.
The project focuses on a stretch of the White River between the bridges on Second and Third streets.
Columbus Director of Redevelopment Heather Pope says that area of the river is pretty narrow, and it's susceptible to erosion and flooding.
Pope says the plan aims to reduce those issues by "armoring" the banks of the river.
"They're eroding and they're failing terribly, and armoring is a form to stabilize those things."
Pope says the project also includes building structures in the river.
"What the in-river structures will do is channelize the velocity of the river to the center of the river and provide calmer edges," Pope says.
Pope says the area also includes a low-head dam, which would be removed as part of the project.
Low-head dams are man-made structures, and they're found in rivers across the state. A Columbus kayaker was caught in a low-head dam last November. He survived, but the dams can often cause fatal accidents.
And a young boy drowned near Columbus earlier this month after being swept away by the river.
Pope says the project is still in the early planning stages, so it's hard to estimate the cost. She says Hitchcock Design Group, the firm responsible for the design and modeling of the project, has presented some concept drawings.
Pope says the commission will meet with regulatory agencies from the state on July 1 to get feedback on the proposal.
"Then we'll need to go back to the Redevelopment Commission and the City Council to receive funding to develop construction documents," Pope says.