Meadow Creek

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Meadow Creek is a tributary of the Rivanna River that runs through Charlottesville and is part of the larger Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Restoration

Mc-restoration.jpg

In 2012, Charlottesville officials are working with the Nature Conservancy and the Rivanna Trails Foundation to restore the banks of Meadow Creek within city limits. Invasive species will be rooted out, trees will be planted to slow erosion, and the stream channel will be realigned to slow down the creek's velocity. [1]

The project is funded by $3.95 million from the Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund.[2] The trust fund is a joint project of the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. [2] A condition of the Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund funding is that over 70 acres of land will be under permanent conservation easement, meaning no future subdivision of land, no buildings and no impervious surfaces. [2] Although impervious surfaces may be used to create pedestrian and bike paths along the creek.[2]

The goal of the project is to create a healthy ecosystem. This will be done by slowing water flow through the placement of trees and reducing the height of the stream banks and realigning the stream channel with the flood plain. [2] Also, the invasive species like the Norway Maple, Chinese silvergrass and golden bamboo will also be removed. [2] The invasive species will be removed using pesticides during the summer of 2012 and native species will be planted in the fall of 2012.[2]

Sample picture of the conditions in the Meadow Creek
Artist rendering of what the creek could look like after restoration

References

  1. Web. Cleaning up the Clean Water Act:Residents, city work towards Meadow Creek restoration, Laura Ingles, C-VILLE Weekly, Portico Publications, January 17, 2012, retrieved January 17, 2012. Print. January 17, 2012 , 24.03, .
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Web. Meadow Creek streambank restoration set to begin, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, 24 April 2012, retrieved 24 April 2012.

External links

City's page on restoration project