New artwork will be appearing across the city of Erie, but the pieces are revealing something most residents have not seen. The Hidden Creeks Project is uncovering the city’s buried waterways through public art.

Across Erie, new artwork will be showing up starting within six months to effort the city’s buried waterways and remind residents that even what we can’t see still shapes our neighborhoods.

Kristen Currier is the environmental educator for the Erie County Conservation District. She said that it’s important to remember Erie’s past by celebrating with this art.

“So, we want to keep Erie’s unique history in the forefront,” Currier said. “We want to make sure that people remember our history and how we recovered from it, but we also want people to understand how we, as a community, can work together to keep our water supply clean.”

Fallowfield fire chief, others resign from department

The Mill Creek runs mostly in the open. However, two miles run underground in what was an amazing construction feat, especially for the time.

“The tube was built in place; it was an engineering feat of its time,” Currier said. “There were obviously some automobiles, but a lot of it was done with steam engines and manpower, and there were horses and carriages that were doing some of the work also, which was amazing.”

The project is also being done to remember how we impact our water source in the city of Erie through all the mundane tasks we do throughout the day.

“So, remembering that that water supply is there and actions that we do every day impact how clean and healthy that water is, we want to make sure through public art displays,” Currier said.

Conneaut Lake officer released from hospital following stabbing

Projects like this don’t just decorate the city, they teach it. Organizers are hoping that not only through these decorations will people realize what’s going on, but also that water is impacted through the city of Erie.

“As Erie has expanded over the decades, we have been tying in various storm drains, so anything that flows into those storm drains, whether it be dog waste bags or fast-food wrappers and cups and things like that, that actually doesn’t go to the wastewater treatment, it goes directly into the tube,” Currier said.

The first of the art designs is expected to be put in during the upcoming summer for people to read about the history of Erie’s waterways and how we can protect them.

There will also be a website for people to look up more information when they are looking at these pieces of art. The whole project is expected to be done in 2027.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com.