Funded Restoration Projects
Grove Park Stream Restoration Project
Located in eastern Durham County, Grove Park is a lake and golf course community situated less than a mile from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property surrounding Falls lake. The centerpiece of this community is Grove Park lake where residents have year-round access to recreational catch and release fishing. Upstream development along with past straightening of the channels and timbering have greatly degraded the tributaries of Little Lick Creek flowing into the lake and caused rapid sedimentation.
Durham Soil and Water Conservation restored 6,000 linear feet of stream using grant funds provided by the NC Division of Water Resources, NC Land and Water Fun, Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, Piedmont Conservation Council, and Grove Park HOA. A permanent easement was established along the tributaries. Durham Soil and Water Conservation holds this easement and monitors it annually.
Riverside Stormwater Project
The Riverside Stormwater project restored two old pre-regulation sediment basins on Riverside High School’s campus. The smaller of the two ponds was maintained as a stormwater pond, while the larger one was converted into a stormwater wetland. The District partnered with NCSU to study the water quality benefits of converting dilapidated ponds to wetlands.
This project was funded with grants from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund and the Division of Water Resources. Durham Public Schools donated an easement which the District is holding and monitoring.
Dunbarton Stream Restoration Project
The Dunbarton stream restoration project restored 1,770 linear feet of an unnamed tributary to Third Fork Creek. It also established a riparian buffer throughout the project area. Expected benefits are a reduction of 401 tons of sediment per year entering this tributary to Jordan Lake.
The project was funded through a Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the Dunbarton HOA. The District holds and monitors a conservation easement encompassing the project area.
Walker Stream Restoration Project
Located near the headwaters of Falls Lake, the Walker project restored 2,218 linear feet of a sediment-impaired unnamed tributary to Little Lick Creek. A vegetative buffer was established along both sides of the streams. Northern High School students were hired to grow and plant a portion of the trees used. Expected benefits include an almost 98% reduction in sediment load from stream bank erosion.
The project was funded through a Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant. A permanent conservation easement was established. The easement is held and monitored by Durham Soil and Water Conservation District.
Marbrey-Jackson Stream Restoration Project
The Marbrey-Jackson project restored approximately 4,000 linear feet of Panther Creek. Recent suburbanization combined with historical stresses such as livestock and timbering were causing degradation and erosion of this stream segment.
The Marbrey-Jackson stream restoration project was funded through grants from the Division of Water Resources, The North Carolina Land and Water Fund, and the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative Program. The Durham Soil and Water Conservation District holds and monitors the easement.
Ward Stream Restoration Project
The Ward project restored 3,604 linear feet of stream near the headwaters of Falls Lake. The project included the creation of a vegetative buffer. The District collaborated with Northern High School to procure, propagate, and install approximately 360 plants for the buffer.
The Ward stream restoration project was funded through grants provided by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative. Durham Soil and Water Conservation District holds and monitors an easement around the project.
Southern High School Stormwater and Stream Restoration Project
The Little Lick Creek Local Watershed Plan identified several potential stream restoration, buffer enhancement, and stormwater retrofit opportunities. Southern High School was included in this plan as the property drains into Chucky Pipe Creek, a tributary of Little Lick Creek and Falls Lake.
The project was completed in two phases. Phase I included the construction of a stormwater wetland cell and reuse pond as well as the 950 linear feet of stream restoration. Three additional stormwater BMPs were installed during Phase II. This consisted of a stormwater wetland, wet detention reuse pond, and a bioretention rain garden.
Grant funding was provided through the NC Environmental Enhancement Grant Program, NC Division of Water Resources, and NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The District holds and monitors the conservation easement.
Sandy Creek Stormwater and Stream Restoration Project
The project for Sandy Creek addressed an incised channel, eroding banks, stormwater runoff. The project was completed in two phases. Phase I restored 1,600 linear feet of stream and established a riparian buffer. Phase II constructed a three-celled stormwater wetland and restored 434 linear feet of a tributary to Upper Sandy Creek.
Durham Soil and Water Conservation District holds a 3-acre conservation easement. Grant funding was provided through Division of Water Resources and Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
Lick Creek Stream Restoration Project
The project restored a 3,500-linear-feet section of Lick Creek that was facing significant vertical instability problems. Incision and bank slumping were contributing an estimated 230 tons/year of sediment to this Falls Lake tributary. In addition to stabilizing the stream, the project added vegetative buffer and a permanent conservation easement.
Funding for the project and the purchase of the easement was made possible through two Clean Water Management Trust Fund grants and an Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative grant. Durham Soil and Water Conservation district holds and monitors the easement.
Thacker Stream Restoration Project
Located in northern Durham, the Thacker project restored 1,950 linear feet of a tributary for the drinking water reservoir Lake Mitchie. The project addressed the stream’s vertical incision, lateral migration, sediment runoff, and livestock access which contribute to decreased water quality. It also established a riparian buffer and conservation easement.
Durham Soil and Water Conservation District holds and monitors the easement. The project was funded through a Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant.