UT to Squirrel Creek & Squirrel Creek
Stream Restoration Project
UT to Squirrel Creek post-restoration with stabilized streambanks and reconnected floodplain
UT to Squirrel Creek & Squirrel Creek
Toe River Watershed
Avery County, Plum Tree, NC
Status: Complete
Stream Restored: ~1,500 feet
Partners:
Prior to restoration streambanks on Squirrell Creek were steep and severely eroded
Resource Concern/Issues:
UT to Squirrel Creek is a headwater stream that suffered from critical erosion and incised streambanks. Streambanks on Squirrel Creek were steep and severely eroded and lacked a riparian buffer
Project Objectives:
Improve water quality by reducing sediment, organic, and inorganic loading of the stream and reduce streambank erosion
Stabilize the stream reach to prevent further aggradation or degradation by providing an improved dimension, pattern and/or profile that will improve sediment transport, and manage surface waters and groundwater levels in floodplains, riparian areas, and wetlands
Construct rock and woody structures to provide instream habitat, stabilize streambanks and the channel bed
Establish a riparian buffer, remove invasive plant species and reestablish native plants, trees, and shrubs
Unstable reach of UT to Squirrell Creek prior to restoration
A view of the instream structures installed on UT to Squirrel Creek. The instream structures reduce erosion and help stabilize the streambanks.