BMPs demonstration area challenges coastal community to improve water quality |
With the recent addition of Burnt Mill Creek to North Carolina’s 303d list -- an enumeration of all water bodies not meeting water-quality standards or that require restrictive uses – Wilmington city officials took action. Armed with an EPA 319(h) grant for $120,000, the city installed the Randall Pond Demonstration Park, which not only educates the community but also treats water in the 4,274-acre Burnt Mill Creek Watershed. Burnt Mill Creek is the most degraded creek in the Wilmington area. Its 4,274-acre watershed drains water from Market Street and Wrightsville Avenue, two of the Port City’s heaviest traffic areas. Untreated stormwater runoff from these two streets carries gasoline and other pollutants directly into the creek, which then drains to the Cape Fear River. The watershed’s other major problem is the number of new communities that have sprung up in the past couple of years. New neighborhoods replaced the once-vegetated landscape with impervious rooftops, driveways and roads. To double this detrimental effect, developers have not replanted the area with substantial species that could absorb and treat runoff. In an effort to educate homeowners about how simple and effective stormwater management can be, the city established the park as a one-stop education area. Homeowners can tour more than 10 stormwater BMPs in a compact space to get an idea of which would work well on their land. Several BMPs highlight different runoff management techniques, including buffers, rain gardens and bio-retention areas. Buffers are heavily vegetated areas that treat runoff by absorbing excess nutrients and capturing sediment and pollutants. In heavy rain, such as summer thunderstorms and hurricanes, the buffer treats the water as it travels to its final destination, but light rain runoff is absorbed into the groundwater supply after being treated. Charlotte Glen, North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s urban horticulture agent for New Hanover County, thinks shoreline buffers are the most important BMP in Wilmington, because if the runoff is not treated at the shoreline, it enters larger water bodies carrying sediment and pollutants with it. “Promoting shoreline buffers is a tough task for waterfront properties,” she says, “because people pay upwards of $1 million for an amazing view and the last thing they want to do is plant trees and bushes to block the view. I hope to experiment with plants to see if we can find a handful that get the job done but don’t block views.” Rain gardens and bio-retention areas capture the crucial first inch of runoff, which carries most pollutants and extra sediment. These BMPs can be implemented on properties of any size. Other BMPs at Randall Pond include rain barrels, a grassy swale, habitat garden, rain garden, pervious materials and a bioretention area. As part of the grant, Cooperative Extension and Jennifer Butler, education outreach coordinator for Wilmington’s stormwater department, have offered several workshops on how to landscape with native plants, install a bio-retention area, and use a rain barrel to conserve water. School groups also use the site for field trips. For more information, check out the official website below, or contact Charlotte Glen at cglen@nhcgov.com.
-- Kathleen Powers |
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