The confluence of California, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy creeks in Mars Hill, immediately after undergoing stream restoration.
MARS HILL, N.C. -- Residents of Mars Hill, along with several community partners, recently restored a major watershed with the goal of protecting the environment and local property, improving water quality, and boosting outdoor recreation opportunities.
Alan Walker, project manager for the nonprofit Resource Institute, said highway construction damaged portions of California, Paint Fork and Little Ivy Creeks, and explained local landowners were seeing property loss.
"Improvements along Interstate 26, and creating that corridor, as well as with the widening of Highway 19, increased the runoff at the upper end of the watershed," Walker recounted.
He emphasized the sediment reduction will improve water quality in all three streams, and with stream banks stabilized, it's now safe for the public to access the stream for outdoor recreation opportunities. He added trout fishing is likely to improve from the cleaner water and renewed aquatic habitat.
Walker stressed community spirit drove the project, noting local landowners united with Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District, Beech Glen Community Center, and the Greater Ivy Community Association to find a solution with mutual benefits.
"Across the stream and the immediate landowner downstream wanted to address the loss of stream bank erosion and the water-quality issues along this reach," Walker remarked.
Walker outlined the restoration approach used sustainable river engineering technologies to improve natural stream stability, along with an enhanced riparian buffer with native plants, to aid in erosion prevention and create wildlife habitat.
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References: Mars Hill area stream restoration Resource Institute 05/06/2021
Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - NC
Original Article at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2021-06-01/environment/nc-community-repairs-watershed-damaged-by-highway-construction/a74474-1