Quickfacts:
Objectives of the restoration plan were to:
- Restore Stream Stability: Reconstruct 1,450 feet of the stream to prevent bank collapse and reduce erosion.
- Establish Functional Floodplain: Create a new floodplain area to manage floodwaters and decrease streambank erosion.
- Enhance Riparian Buffer: Plant 50-foot-wide buffers of native trees and shrubs along the stream to filter runoff and support wildlife.
- Improve Sediment Flow: Redesign the channel to allow sediment movement, reducing buildup and maintaining a healthy streambed.
- Boost Water Quality: Lower nutrient and sediment pollution entering Smith Creek and the Neuse River to improve overall water quality and habitat health.
2017 – 2021
This stream restoration project aims to address severe erosion and sedimentation issues along a degraded tributary within the Neuse River Basin, impacting water quality in both Smith Creek and the Neuse River. The current stream channel exhibits high banks, a low floodplain connection, and significant bank erosion due to an overly wide channel design principles, including creating a floodplain bench and a meandering channel to stabilize banks and improve aquatic habitat. By reestablishing a healthy riparian buffer with native vegetation, the project also helped to enhance water quality and habitat diversity, benefiting the sensitive and impaired downstream waters.
Location:
- Located along a 1,450-foot stretch of an unnamed tributary of Smith Creek within the Neuse River Basin, starting approximately 500 feet downstream of Jones Dairy Road
- Wake County
Partners:
- Wake Soil and Water Conservation District
Funding: $451,707
- Clean Water Management Trust Fund: $257,000
- In-Kind Matching
- Hurricane Matthew Relief Funds: $100,000
- Donated Easement Value: $91,707
- Northampton Donation: $2,500
- Hartley Donation: $500
