Nantahala River & Black Creek
Stream Restoration Project

 
 

Following the completion of the Nantahala Project, the team established a riparian buffer by planting 5,639 live stakes and 979 trees. These plants are expected to sequester over 50 tons of carbon in the coming years.

Nantahala River & Black Creek

Little Tennessee Watershed
Macon County, Hendersonville, NC
Status:  Completed 2023 
Stream Restored: ~2,843 feet
Planting Stats: 5,639 livestakes, 979 trees
Carbon Sequestration 50.3 tons
Soil Erosion Reduction  180 tons

Resource Institute’s Partners:

Before restoration, Lewis Creek’s streambanks were steep and severely eroded, lacking a riparian buffer. This impaired both water quality and habitat.

Natural Resource Concerns/Issues

  • Streambanks on Nantahala River & Black Creek were steep and severely eroded and lacked a riparian buffer

  • Original Stream = Type Bc4

Project Objectives:

  • Restored Stream Type = Bc4

  • Improve water quality by reducing sediment, nutrient, 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