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Can we restore our creeks?

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Staff

Randy Dodd

This question is somewhat of a mantra for me these days.  You see, I’ve been fortunate enough to land within the friendly confines of the Bolin Creek Watershed Restoration Team.

The BCWRT has manifested at least in part because state and federal environmental agencies have confidence that we locals have the wherewithal to do something that other citizenry may not be as ready to tackle: restoring creeks so that a balanced and healthy aquatic ecosystem can thrive. The Bolin Creek watershed is one of seven in the state that has received this blessing.  The state and feds are doing a lot to help out; however, we need to ante up also.  It is not an easy task to reverse a trend that is decades if not centuries in the making, and we should not be so naïve to think that it will happen overnight.  Nevertheless, it is a compelling inspiration for me, and I hope many of you will hop onboard.

Before accepting this invitation, perhaps more than a few of you would like more details on both the nature of the challenge as well as what you’re signing up for.  For the former, a part of a reasoned response is that our creeks are impacted by an urban and suburban footprint developed over many, many years geared towards moving and storing motor vehicles and keeping our feet dry and our bodies behind four walls.  The roads, parking lots, driveways and buildings, collectively known as impervious surfaces, impede the ability of water to soak into the soil and more gradually run off.  The net effect is more erosion (both hillside and streambank) because of the increased energy in the runoff and compromised habitat for aquatic organisms.  As to how to help, how about a backyard rain garden revolution?  (If “rain garden” is a new concept, simply google and go.)  It’d be a great start.

For more information about the Bolin Creek Watershed Restoration Team, visit http://www.townofcarrboro.org/pzi/Env/Water/bcwrt.htm.

For a listserv to stay informed about this and similar topics, visit http://listserv.ci.carrboro.nc.us/archives/envirotoc-l.html.

To read about a joint Chapel Hill-Carrboro initiative to pursue on-the-ground restoration projects and continue watershed planning and monitoring efforts, visit http://www.townofcarrboro.org/BoA/Agendas/2008/01_15_2008.htm

Randy Dodd is an almost-  native, and spends a lot of time watching stormwater events.

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