319 Grant Projects

Ailey Young Park Dam Removal, Stream Restoration and Overbank Wetland Project, Town of Wake Forest, $265,455

The project will remove a failing 3.41-acre pond/dam, repair a head cut that is flushing heavy loads of sediment into Dunn Creek, and re-establish a stream morphology with a stable dimension, pattern and profile. The project will also provide two pocket wetlands, a corridor connection for fish/wildlife passage, wildlife habitat, and provide environmental education. These efforts will increase the overall watershed health and provide additional habitat that may be lost due to surrounding development.

Richland-Raccoon Creeks Wastewater Improvement Project, Southwestern NC Resource Conservation & Development Council, $98,300

Richland Creek is currently impaired for biological integrity and fecal coliform bacteria. This project will repair failing septic systems and complete a door-to-door septic system survey in a subwatershed of concern. Site-specific monitoring will be completed to demonstrate measurable results.

Grassy Creek Restoration and Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development Council, $135,755

In partnership with DOT, this project will stabilize and restore a 1,000-foot section of Grassy Creek, which joined the 303d list in 2014 for fish community impairment. This 319-funded project will build on the efforts of another restoration project upstream that is capturing and treating 14 acres of impervious surface. The project will improve aquatic habitat and eliminate nearby road stormwater impacts to water quality. In addition, the project will make more attractive the developing sections of the Mitchell County Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.

Clean Little Alamance Project, North Carolina State University, $79,714

Little Alamance Creek is a 15.9 square mile, 303-d listed stream for poor benthic health. North Carolina State University and the City of Burlington are partnering to design and install an innovative stormwater BMP, a buried stormwater infiltration and detention chamber that infiltrates polluted runoff from the immediate watershed, characterized by moderate to high percentages of impervious cover.  The site is located in a public park and will demonstrate the benefits of underground stormwater technologies in areas of high foot traffic.

Upper Swannanoa River 9 Element Watershed Management Plan Implementation, Land of Sky Regional Council, $60,000

The 7-mile section of the Upper Swannanoa River that runs through the Town of Black Mountain is on the EPA's 303(d) list of impaired waters. This project will involve installing three high priority SCMs laid out in the Upper Swannanoa Watershed Management Plan. Beginning to implement the watershed management plan will help address water quality impairments caused by stormwater runoff.

Unifour Septic System Repair Program, Western Piedmont Council of Governments, $220,000

This project will continue to fund a no-interest, revolving loan program for qualifying homeowners to repair failing septic systems, begin in 2013 using a grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The intent of this 319 grant-funded phase of the program is to replace or repair at least 30 septic tanks for individual home owners. Repairs will help alleviate fecal coliform pollution in local 303(d) listed waters as well as providing public health benefits for low-income residents.

Best Management Practices on the Smith River and the Country Line Creek, Rockingham County Soil and Water Conservation District, $86,000

The Smith River in Rockingham County and the Country Line Creek in Caswell County are impaired for fecal coliform bacteria and turbidity. This 319 grant project will implement agricultural best management practices such as crop rotation, no-till, cover crops, fencing out cattle from water sources and providing cattle with well water, or other practices. Together, practices will help reduce sediment, nutrient and bacteriological inputs into the Smith River and Dan River Watersheds.

Implementing the Bradley and Hewletts Creeks Watershed Restoration Plan, North Carolina Coastal Federation, $107,340

Part of the Bradley and Hewletts Creeks watersheds are impaired for pathogens. This project focuses on reducing bacteria in the creeks and their adjacent estuarine waters by installing retrofit projects that reduce the volume of stormwater runoff entering these watersheds. The Coastal Federation and City of Wilmington will convene a diverse project team of committed experts to prioritize, site, design and construct a series of at least 12 stormwater reduction measures within the watershed.

Naked Creek Restoration Project, New River Conservancy, $214,955

Cattle historically had access to Naked Creek, and the stream continues to be degraded by stormwater runoff from the town of Jefferson upstream. This project will involve sloping the stream banks to connect the stream to its floodplain, daylighting culverted tributaries, restoring the riparian zone with native shrubs and trees, and stabilizing stream banks with in-stream rock and log structures. In addition, New River Conservancy will develop a stormwater plan for a parking lot that contributes stormwater upstream of the project.

Durham County Community Conservation Assistance Program, Durham Soil and Water Conservation District, $100,000

The Durham Soil and Water Conservation District (DSCWD) will install 40 to 45 new BMPs and hold a minimum of six community meetings as part of implementing the Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) in the Third Fork Creek, Northeast Creek, and Ellerbe Creek sub watersheds. CCAP is a voluntary, incentive-based program that educates landowners on water quality, stormwater management and retrofit practices to treat stormwater runoff. Interested landowners apply for financial and technical assistance for the installation of BMPs to protect water quality.