Spring Lake serves as combination bio-retention and wetland area |
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A common misconception is that bio-retention areas and wetlands help the environment but look overgrown, unmanaged or swamp-like, and a muddy sediment pool outside of the Cumberland County Public Library only perpetuated this idea. In 2000, the city’s deputy manager approached George Autry at the local NC Cooperative Extension office for help in managing the pond. The mandatory pond collected stormwater runoff from the road, building and parking lot. When it was installed, little effort was made to landscape it, because it was viewed simply as a requirement. Autry measured its water elevation for a year, recording how much it held both during heavy storms and severe drought. With assistance from Bill Hunt of NC State’s Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, he decided to convert the sediment pool into an innovative vegetated stormwater BMP. The new BMP, designed by Hunt, consists of four deep pools, a peninsula and a water basin. The deep pools hold water year-round, giving fish a sanctuary during the dry summer months, and the water basin slows excess runoff during intense rainfalls. To Autry’s delight, the community jumped at the chance to help with the project. Two local elementary schools helped plant, and students from St. Patrick’s Catholic School built and installed birdhouses to border the wetland. The vegetation was chosen specifically to bring color to the area and supply year-round food for local animal inhabitants. Now the community not only has an effective stormwater practice, but a beautiful reflection area as well. “One of our goals with this site was to give the public somewhere to unwind,” said Autry. “With the benches and library right here, we hope they’ll take advantage of this beautiful space to read and relax.” ‘One of our goals with this site was to give the public somewhere to unwind,’— George Autry, Cooperative Extension director, Cumberland County Sidney Post, coordinator of the non-profit Watershed Action Team and Fayetteville’s Watershed Education Center director, holds high hopes for Spring Lake. “I would like to see a reading program for children one day a week, where a librarian can read a book about an aspect of the environment and the kids can see it occurring in front of the,” he said. Lake construction began in August 2001 with planting in October, and after only three years, the vegetation and wildlife are thriving. Autry’s next steps include planting trees near the road lend the lake some privacy and to decrease noise pollution, and placing more benches on the peninsula. -- Kathleen Powers |
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