The Skokie River—a 20-mile-long waterway winding through Chicago’s northern suburbs—was facing stabilization issues and severely eroding streambanks along a one-mile section in Lake Forest. Our team was hired for water management services that would protect private properties and infrastructure from erosion-based damage. We approached this challenge by segmenting the project into two distinct work zones (downstream and upstream), allowing for completion of half the creek at a time. Through attention to actual field condition during construction, we were able to provide value engineered solutions which resulted in $250,000 in cost savings for the East Skokie Drainage District.