Improving creek banks alongside a new greenway project to protect water quality and reduce erosion

Long Creek Stream Restoration

Common among urban areas, soil along Long Creek’s banks slipped away and created community hazards. Fallen trees and debris, exposed utilities, and sediment caused poor water quality and increased flood risks. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, partnered with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and Charlotte Water, called us in to help restore the area alongside a planned greenway project.

Our services ran from initial assessment through construction administration and included geomorphic analysis, watershed assessment, hydrologic and hydraulic studies, stream restoration and stormwater design, and special provisions and specifications. In one area, we found unpermitted stream impacts from a sewer repair. We worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the County to develop a solution. This included minor grading and native revegetation that will promote better floodplain connectivity, restore the wetland area and function, and overall enhance the project in that location.

These efforts helped revive 7,200 linear feet (2,194 metres) of Long Creek, its Dixon Branch tributary, and more than 20 stormwater conveyance links and minor tributaries. Finished areas are recovering even faster than planned, and more people use the greenway every day. As the ecosystem continues to improve, visitors enjoy the restoration in action.