Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Reedy Creek Stream Restoration Project was a success

On June 4th, the City of Charlotte hosted an on-site ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the project’s successfully partnerships, environmental improvements, and community benefits. Check out the below slideshow of photos from this event.

About the project: Wildlands was selected to perform this first design-build project to generate stream and wetland mitigation units for the City of Charlotte Umbrella Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank. This pilot project is located within the environmentally significant Reedy Creek Nature Preserve and involved the restoration of deeply incised, eroded stream channels to appropriately sized bankfull channels with access to a floodplain and preservation of existing high-quality streams and wetlands. The project consists of approximately 26,400 linear feet (LF) of stream restoration and 15,600 LF of stream preservation for a total of 26,000 stream mitigation credits. Approximately 1.0 wetland mitigation unit will be accomplished through enhancement and preservation of wetlands.

CLICK HERE to visit the project website.

Wildlands’ Falling Creek Mitigation Site withstands 30” rainfall event during Hurricane Florence

Wildlands completed construction on the Falling Creek and Grantham Branch stream and wetland mitigation banks near Grantham, NC in March of 2018. In September of 2018, Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wilmington and slowly moved across the state shattering rainfall records throughout eastern NC. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported a rainfall total of 25 inches in nearby Mt. Olive, NC. Detailed records maintained by local hog farmers for their waste lagoons indicated that as much as 30 inches of rain fell on these two mitigation banks over a three-day period.  These two banks restored, enhanced, and preserved over 35,000 feet of stream and 320 acres of wetlands.  The hurricane only caused damage to two stream reaches, each under 500 feet. The damage was the result of streambank erosion from streams outside of the project that deposited within the project and filled these stream reaches. At the time of the damage, repairs were thought necessary but after a second assessment one month later, the streams appeared to be moving the sediment through the system and ‘self-repairing.’  Within three months, the damaged streams had returned to the as-built condition and no repairs were necessary.  This project serves as further evidence that when streams are restored to natural dimensions and pattern storm events dissipate energy properly within the channels and on the floodplains and are resistant to damage.  The below photos were taken in September 2018, after Hurricane Florence.

CharlotteFive features the Chantilly Ecological Sanctuary

Wildlands Engineering has served as the lead engineering firm for the Chantilly Ecological Sanctuary project in Charlotte, NC.  Our team completed design, permitting, easement procurement, public meetings, construction services, and modeling services for over 9,000 linear feet of stream and two storm water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs).

What to know about the Chantilly Ecological Sanctuary, opening in September

Click here to read article »

Take look at the future South Ellerbe Stormwater Restoration Project in Durham, NC

As the prime consultant and lead engineering firm, Wildlands is thrilled to be working with the City of Durham to complete the South Ellerbe stormwater restoration project.  To view more renderings and read more about the project, click here »

Cane River Dam Removal and Restoration Project is complete

Wildlands has recently completed work on the Cane River Dam Removal and Restoration Project. The Cane River dam was built in 1908 to generate hydroelectric power for Yancey County. The dam was a reinforced concrete structure measuring approximately 45 feet tall and spanning 245 feet across the valley. The dam and powerhouse were submerged during major floods in 1940 and the mid 1950’s. In the 1970’s, another significant flood caused even more damage and the dam was partially breached to prevent complete collapse. The dam was damaged again during Hurricanes Frances and Ivan in 2004 and remained in an unstable condition until the removal project came to fruition.

Under a design-build contract through Blue Ridge RC&D Council and in coordination with a group of stakeholders that includes the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Wildlands designed and Baker Grading & Landscaping constructed a dam removal and river restoration project for a one-half mile reach of river. The project goals included: removing the dam, powerhouse and much of the accumulated sediment; restoring river dimension, pattern and profile upstream and downstream of the dam; establishing robust riparian buffers; and restoring aquatic organism passage through the project reach. This reach of the Cane River is home to populations of the federally endangered Appalachian elktoe mussel and the Eastern hellbender, a state species of concern. The project design included wood and stone shelter structures and bed form modifications that support the life cycles of these animals and other native species. Construction was completed in October 2016.