PAYNE BRANCH RESTORATION PROJECT STARTS CONSTRUCTION IN JULY

Deteriorating dam at Payne Branch Park near Boone, NC. The Payne Branch dam was a power source for the NRLP service area from 1924–72.

A unique partnership between Resource Institute, a Winston-Salem NC based nonprofit, and Appalachian State University, New River Light & Power (NRLP) will restore a section of Payne Branch, along the Middle Fork of the New River.  This section of stream flows through the decommissioned Payne Branch hydroelectric dam, located just east of Boone at Payne Branch Park.

NRLP supplies electrical service to Appalachian State University, the Town of Boone and the surrounding community.  The Payne Branch dam was once used as a power source for the NRLP service area (1924–72), according to Matthew Makdad, PE, Engineering Supervisor at NRLP.  “The watershed upstream of the site has been impacted by development and highway expansion,” he explained. “This, plus the remaining dam structure, has subsequently restricted the Middle Fork, causing increased stormwater flow and sediment levels that are impacting the water quality in this habitat.”

Payne Branch suffers from multiple physical, ecological, and biological impacts.  The old dam structure restricts streamflow, causing increased stormwater flow and sediment levels, poor water quality, and reduced habitat.  The Payne Branch Project will remove the existing dam, remove excess sediment, restore and stabilize stream banks, reconnect and enhance the floodplain and ponds, and allow upstream fish passage for spawning.  The project will also establish a riparian buffer, remove invasive plant species and reestablish native plants, trees and shrubs.

Appalachian State University, NRLP with assistance from Resource Institute, received a $1.177 million grant from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund to implement the project.  NRLP will contribute an additional $200,000 to the effort.  Brushy Fork Environmental Consulting, Inc. completed the assessment, engineering, and design.  Construction begins in July (weather dependent) with an expected completion date of Fall 2020.

Resource Institute, the project manager, has a 20-year history of managing stream restoration projects.  Charles Anderson, Resource Institute, says the Payne Branch Project is quite complex. “There are tons of soil and sediment behind the old dam.  We will take out as much sediment as possible while removing the dam.  We want to minimize sediment flowing downstream because the water supply for Boone is downstream of the site. This project means a safer, cleaner water supply for the Town of Boone.”

Payne Branch stream restoration project, pre-construction, looking upstream to the decommissioned hydroelectric dam.

After completion, Payne Branch will see a decrease in stormwater flows and sediment deposits.  Stabilized streambanks and new riparian buffer will reduce erosion and contribute to improved water quality, enhanced habitat, and positively impact the trout fishery.

In total, 1,200 linear stream feet will be restored. The Payne Branch Project will be part of the future extension of the Greenway Trail between Boone and Blowing Rock.  The project will expand community and tourist recreation opportunities.

Shaw Creek River Restoration Project Helps Veterans Heal

Resource Institute completes a stream restoration project on Veterans Healing Farm near Hendersonville, NC.

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. -- A river-restoration project on a farm for veterans in Hendersonville is bringing new life to a community space.

Veterans Healing Farm began in 2013 as a way to support the emotional and social well-being of returning service members, who use the land to grow food, herbs and flowers. The farm's executive director, John Mashie, said repeated floods had caused the banks along Shaw Creek to become severely eroded, so he teamed up with local conservation organization Resource Institute and the Henderson Soil and Water Conservation District to restore the stream.

Mashie said flowing water is naturally healing for veterans transitioning back from military life.

"The creek is multifaceted in terms of what it created," Mashie said. "One is the sound of the water as it flows over some of these various features; obviously, to see the water, to have an open area that they can sit next to the water. Additionally, the entire creek is planted with elderberry that is going to be used to create medicine."

Research has shown spending time in nature can improve the psychological well-being of veterans struggling with depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other serious health problems. North Carolina is home to more than 700,000 veterans.

Senior Water Resources Engineer at Wildlands Engineering Jake McLean said eroding stream banks can lead to land loss and reduced crop production and can harm aquatic life.

"That's sending sediment downstream - places where there's mussels and other organisms that get smothered out with sediment," McLean said.

He said as part of the restoration work, veterans helped plant more than 3,000 native plants and shrubs alongside the creek.

Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - NC

Original article at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-05-12/water/shaw-creek-river-restoration-project-helps-veterans-heal/a70167-1

VETERANS HEALING FARM HEALS VETERANS AND STREAMS

Suttles Engineering implements the stream restoration project on Shaw Creek, Hendersonville, NC.

Near Hendersonville, NC lies a small farm providing extraordinary services to our military veterans.  Veterans Healing Farm (VHF) is healing veterans and is now healing the streams flowing through the property.  Veteran John Mahshie founded VHF in 2013.  VHF uses this facility for creating community and supporting the emotional and social well-being of veterans. VHF veteran volunteers grow food, herbs, and flowers on-site, and VHF supplies those products to veterans and caregivers free of charge at the VA and other local distribution sites.  VHF also teaches veterans practical skills related to food production, animal husbandry, medicinal herbs, and crafts.  VHF creates unique learning, treatment, and community spaces through creative and innovative design and materials repurposing.  The farm works toward self-sufficiency, by capturing solar energy to power on-site facilities.

Shaw Creek, a tributary of the French Broad River, bisects the farm.  The stream is a centerpiece of VHF and the far bank serves as an area of respite and relaxation for veterans.  In recent years, Shaw Creek experienced multiple severe out of bank flooding events causing severe streambank erosion, significant land loss, and reduced crop production after each rain event.  Additionally, two invasive species, kudzu and Japanese knotweed, had overrun the stream corridor choking out and preventing more desirable native trees and shrubs from growing along the streambank. 

Mahshie searched for a solution to the stream problems he was experiencing, reaching out for help from the nonprofit, Resource Institute (RI ) and the Henderson Soil & Water Conservation District.  RI’s mission is to restore America’s streams, rivers, and wetlands by working in partnership with local landowners and communities.  RI helped Mahshie apply for stream restoration project funding under the USDA-NRCS EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) through the RCPP (Regional Conservation Partnership Program).  The EQIP program provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns like the problems Mashie was experiencing on Shaw Creek. In 2017, EQIP approved Mahshie’s application and provided construction funding to restore Shaw Creek. RI and Henderson SWCD secured additional funding through the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NC DWR) to fund project engineering design and permitting.

Resource Institute, took on the role of project manager, assembled a project team with Wildlands Engineering for engineering and design and Suttles Grading for construction.  The team constructed a new floodplain and installed in-stream structures.  The long-term project goals are for Shaw Creek to handle flood flows in a non-erosive manner and reduce stress on the banks and maintain channel stability. The engineered in-stream structures direct flows into the center of the stream channel and away from the streambanks.

During construction, trees in danger of being lost to future streambank erosion were removed and later replanted by the RI Team and VHF. Together, the team planted over 3,000 native species trees and shrubs, forming a wide riparian corridor for surface water filtration, sediment transport reduction, erosion control, and terrestrial habitat along the stream corridor. Mahshie made one special request to the project team, plant Elderberry for medicinal purposes, as VHF supplies and teaches veterans about the value and uses of homeopathic medicine.  VHF volunteers also helped transplant river cane, a plant that has cultural significance with the Cherokee nation and may supply materials for future VHF endeavors. 

Mahshie says that stream restoration on Shaw Creek helps the veterans in multiple ways. “When you are having a hard day, you can go and sit by the creek.  Now, you can hear and see it.  It gives you a sense of serenity and peacefulness.” The next step is to create stream access to veterans’ families. Mashie says, “It will be an amazing place for veterans to relax and play in the creek with their families.”

Restoration of Linville River Continues - Seedling Planting and Trout Stocking in Next Phase

CROSSNORE - The N.C. Forest Service, partnering agencies, and Resource Institute has restored 2,450 feet of the Linville River channel as it flows through Gill State Forest and beyond Crossnore Mountain Training Facility and Linville River Nursery.

Additionally, the NCFS has enhanced 500 feet of an unnamed stream that discharges to the river by planting understory growth that will eventually shade the stream.

In the next phase of the project, tree seedling planting and trout stocking will begin in March. Forest Service staff have already placed signs on river and stream banks advising fishermen and visitors of the new understory vegetation already planted and of the future tree plantings.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will stock the restored river reach for the opening day of trout fishing season, the first Saturday in April. Due to restoration construction, the Commission suspended stocking of hatchery trout in the summer of 2018. According to Commission officials, this portion of the river will be stocked with trout in March; restocked twice during April and May, and once in June and July.

“The improved aquatic habitat means more places for trout to call home and a sustained fishery throughout the spring and summer,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We restored the river in the fall and winter months to minimize impacts on fishing and other recreation that occurs at Gill State Forest.”

For fishing and hiking enthusiasts, visitor parking is available just off Linville Falls Highway, adjacent to the high-water bridge. This summer, a river trail, and self-interpretation kiosks will be established to inform forest visitors about the many benefits of river restoration. You can learn more about the restoration by visiting the N.C. Forest Service website at https://www.ncforestservice.gov/water_quality/wq_streamrestoration.htm.