Sugarloaf Elementary wetland grows on tour groups, continues to thrive |
Muddy Fork Creek runs through Alexander County before joining Muddy Creek, which supplies drinking water for the Hickory and Charlotte areas. When Bill Hunt and Lenny Rogers noticed the creek’s degradation, they realized the large downstream impact. Because of its location, the stream was receiving excessive runoff from Sugarloaf Elementary School’s parking lot, roof and playground, which contributed to erosion of the creek banks and sediment buildup. “We call it non-point source pollution,” says Rogers, North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s director for Alexander County. “No one’s dumping chemicals or sediment directly into the creek, so it makes it harder to fix. People are still learning how their actions away from streams and creeks can still have a direct effect on these bodies of water.” With the cooperation of the school and Deal Cattle Farms and funding from an EPA 319 grant, Hunt, who’s N.C. Cooperative Extension area-specialized agent for stormwater, and Rogers installed Alexander County’s first wetland Best Management Practice. The wetland BMP treats a total of 12 acres of runoff from a nearby farm, streets and the school. Hunt designed and oversaw construction of the grassy swale and wetland. Before he installed the wetland, the land was relatively flat, so construction crews had to create the Z-shaped wetland and grassy swale from scratch. Water must weave between the wetland’s two peninsulas before exiting. The curved path increases the runoff’s treatment time and adds to its aesthetics by creating different vegetation zones. Runoff begins purification as it travels down the grassy swale. The grass traps much of the sediment and slows the water’s velocity. The wetland’s forebay is two feet deep and serves as a settling basin for trash and extra sediment. Water then weaves through the wetland, where plants absorb excess nutrients and oil and gasoline from the road. The water then exits the wetland through a pipe leading to Muddy Fork Creek. Since its 1996 planting, the wetland has grown tremendously on its own. Originally, vegetation, including water lilies, arrowheads and cattails, was transplanted from Lake Catawba. Because of the wetland’s healthy nature, the original plantings matured well and seeds deposited by birds have grown as well. In fact, the Sugarloaf Elementary Wetland serves as a nursery, from which people can take these healthy plants to their own developing wetlands. The school and community have embraced and educated people about the wetland, including more than 155 groups. Participants included local leaders, EPA officials, engineers, landscape architects and community members. The school also uses the wetland as an outdoor classroom and even held a PTA night devoted to explaining the significance of the wetland to parents. “We have conducted a variety of studies, given tours and based future wetland designs on this one,” said Hunt, “and it is this array of uses that makes me so proud of its success.” -- Kathleen Powers |
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