Chapter 12 Initiatives

Chapter 12
Water Quality Initiatives

12.1 The Importance of Local Initiatives

As the Basinwide Planning Program completes its third cycle of plan development, there are
many efforts being undertaken at the local level to improve water quality. Information about
local efforts in a particular watershed is included in the subbasin chapters (Chapters 1 – 3).
DWQ encourages local agencies and organizations to learn about and become active in their
watersheds.

In an effort to provide water quality information and gain public input, DWQ held a public
workshop in Jefferson (April 2004). The purpose of the workshop was to inform people of the
2005 plan update and to seek input prior to finalizing the plan. Participants provided comments
on specific waters in the New River basin and generalized issues related to urbanization and land
use changes, streamside management, enforcement, permitting, monitoring and funding sources.

An important benefit of local initiatives is that local people make decisions that affect change in
their own communities. There are a variety of limitations local initiatives can overcome
including: state government budgets, staff resources, lack of regulations for nonpoint sources,
the rulemaking process, and many others. These local organizations and agencies are able to
combine professional expertise in a watershed. This allows groups to holistically understand the
challenges and opportunities of different water quality efforts. Involving a wide array of people
in water quality projects also brings together a range of knowledge and interests, and encourages
others to become involved and invested in these projects. By working in coordination across
jurisdictions and agency lines, more funding opportunities are available, and it is easier to
generate necessary matching or leveraging funds. This will potentially allow local entities to do
more work and be involved in more activities because their funding sources are diversified. The
most important aspect of these local endeavors is that the more localized the project, the better
the chances for success.

The collaboration of these local efforts are key to water quality improvements. There are good
examples of local agencies and groups using these cooperative strategies throughout the state. A
few of the local organizations are highlighted in Table 21. Specific projects are described in the
subbasin chapters (Chapters 1 – 3). Nonpoint source program descriptions and contact, Soil and
Water Conservation District (SWCD), NC Cooperative Extension Service and USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) contact information can be found in Appendix VIII.

DWQ applauds the foresight and proactive response to potential water quality problems in the
watersheds identified in the subbasin chapters (Chapters 1 – 3). Federal and State government
agencies are interested in assisting local governments and citizen groups in developing their
water quality management programs. The distribution of several grantors is discussed below
(Section 12.2 and 12.3).

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Table 21 Local Water Quality Initiatives

New River Community Partners (NRCP)
Sparta, North Carolina

NRCP is a grassroots organization founded to oversee the implementation of the American Heritage Rivers
Initiative (AHRI) for the New River. The Board of Directors includes grassroots leaders, small business owners,
elected officials, educators, chamber of commerce directors, landowners, natural resource management
professionals and historic preservationists from North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. A major
accomplishment of the NRCP has been the development of the New River Watershed Work Plan. The plan is a
working document, which changes frequently as projects are completed and new programs and/or projects begin.
Several of the projects reflect the connection between natural resources protection, agricultural service, economic
development, and historic and cultural preservation. To date, over $13 million has been leveraged from federal,
state, local and private sources. For more information about NRCP, contact:

Patrick Woodie
Executive Director

Ben Borda
River Navigator
US Army Corps of Engineers
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Accomplishments/Projects:
ƒ Provides support and assistance to local and regional groups for those projects described in the New River
Watershed Work Plan.
ƒ Coordinates with the River Navigator to create new partnerships with state and federal agencies and
provide training and technical assistance related to water quality.
National Committee for the New River (NCNR)
West Jefferson, North Carolina

NCNR is a nonprofit membership organization that works to protect, preserve and restore the unique natural and
cultural qualities of the New River and its watersheds in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. NCNR has
developed a five-year River Protection Plan. The plan is designed to protect significant lands, restore eroding
streambanks, wetlands and aquatic habitats, and increase community outreach and awareness of watershed
protection. For more information about NCNR, contact:
Jeffrey Scott
Executive Director
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
http://www.ncnr.org/

Accomplishments/Projects:

ƒ Implementing the Five Year River Protection Plan.
ƒ Awarded funding from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) for land protection and
streambank restoration projects.
ƒ Coordinates the New River Big Sweep clean-up efforts every September/October along the river and its
tributaries.
ƒ Established a volunteer water quality monitoring program for the New River headwaters.
ƒ Working to protect nearly 1,000 acres of forested land and build a 5.0-mile community greenway in the
historic district of Todd (Ashe and Watauga counties). Thus far, NCNR has purchased nearly 200 acres
of land and protected nearly 1.5 miles of riverfront property along the South Fork New River.
ƒ Established the River Builder Program, which works with landowners to reestablish riparian vegetation
along streambanks that have eroded due to the removal of vegetation. NCNR has planted more than
300,000 silky dogwoods and 19,700 trees, restoring over 37 miles of riparian buffers.

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Middle Fork Greenway Association (MFGA)
Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Established in 2000, MFGA is volunteer, nonprofit organization working to build a greenway trail along the
Middle Fork South Fork New River between the Towns of Blowing Rock and Boone. MFGA is working with
landowners along this nearly five mile stretch in order to obtain easements at least 20-feet wide, adjacent to the
already 30-foot wide buffer zone established by a local Watershed Protection Ordinance along the river. The trail
would be a 10-foot wide pedestrian/bike trail and be wheelchair accessible. For more information on the Middle
Fork Greenway Project, contact:
Anne Burgess
Greenway Trail Coordinator
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Accomplishments/Projects:

ƒ Received two grants from the NC CWMTF for surveys, environmental site assessments and legal fees to
secure easements from several willing landowners along the proposed greenway trail.
ƒ Developed the Middle Fork Greenway Trail Feasibility Study with the help of students from the Department
of Geography and Planning at Appalachian State University (ASU, May 2001).
ƒ Increasing community awareness of watershed protection and streambank restoration.
Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust (BRRLT)
Boone, North Carolina

The BRRLT is a non-profit land trust serving a seven county area of western North Carolina. The mission of
BRRLT is to preserve rural communities and culture in northwestern North Carolina through the preservation of
the land resources upon which they depend. For more information on BRRLT and their most recent projects,
contact:

James Coman, III
Executive Director
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.brrlt.org
Accomplishments/Projects:

ƒ BRRLT participated in the designation of Beech Creek Bog as a State Natural Area. It is the largest Southern
Appalachian bog and contains several endangered and threatened plant and animal species.
ƒ Working with volunteers, donors and the Conservation Trust of North Carolina to raise $500,000 to buy
Bullhead Mountain. Bullhead Mountain will likely be designated as a State Natural Area by the NC Division
of Parks & Recreation and is being managed by the NC State Office of the National Audubon Society.
ƒ BRRLT has acquired several conservation easements throughout Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga counties.
Many of which are significant contributions to the protection of water quality.

12.2 Federal Initiatives

12.2.1 Clean Water Act – Section 319 Program

Section 319 of the Clean Water Act provides grant money for nonpoint source demonstration and
restoration projects. Through annual base funding, there is approximately $1 million available
for demonstration and education projects across the state. An additional $2 million is available
annually through incremental funds for restoration projects. All projects must provide
nonfederal matching funds of at least 40% of the project’s total costs. Project proposals are
reviewed and selected by the North Carolina Nonpoint Source Workgroup made up of state and
federal agencies involved in regulation or research associated with nonpoint source pollution.
Information on the North Carolina Section 319 Grant Program application process is available
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online at http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/nps/application_process.htm. Descriptions of projects and general
Section 319 Program information are available at
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/nps/Section_319_Grant_Program.htm.

Many 319 projects are demonstration projects and educational programs that allow for the
dissemination of information to the public through established programs at NC State University
(NCSU) and the NC Cooperative Extension Service. Other projects fund stream restoration
activities that improve water quality. Between 1998 and 2003, there was one project in the New
River basin funded through the Section 319 Program. Managed by NCSU, the goal of the
project – New River Watershed Christmas Tree BMP Demonstration Project – was to implement
and evaluate the use of BMPs to reduce sediment and pesticide runoff, nutrient runoff, and
disease. To date, there are 51 demonstrations projects across Ashe and Alleghany counties.
BMPs include ground cover management, chemical mowing, predator insect release, Integrated
Pest Management (IPM) farms, proper mist blower use, riparian buffer plantings, proper road
construction, low-impact site preparation and phosphorus incorporation. Several Christmas tree
farms have multiple BMPs with several farms in Alleghany County featured during the 2003 NC
Christmas Tree Association’s Fall Farm Tour. Future plans for the BMP Demonstration Project
include permanent signage for educational purposes, field days for tours, a published report and a
website with an extensive photo tour of the BMPs.

12.3 State Initiatives

12.3.1 North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (NCEEP)

The North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (NCEEP) is responsible for implementing
wetland and stream restoration projects as part of a statewide effort to provide more ecologically
effective compensatory mitigation. The focus of the program is to restore, enhance and protect
key watershed functions in the 17 river basins across the state through the implementation of
wetlands, streams and riparian buffer projects within selected local watersheds in advance of
permitted impacts. These vital watershed functions include water quality protection, floodwater
conveyance and storage, fisheries and wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. The
NCEEP is not a grant program. Instead, the program funds local mitigation projects directly
through its various in-lieu fee receipts.

Through the development of River Basin Restoration Priorities (formerly called Watershed
Restoration Plans), the NCEEP identifies local watersheds (14-digit hydrologic units) with the
greatest need and opportunity for watershed mitigation projects. The RBRPs are developed, in
part, using information compiled by DWQ's programmatic activities. Additional local resource
data and locations of existing or planned watershed projects are considered in the selection of
targeted local watersheds, which are identified and mapped within the RBRPs. Targeted local
watersheds represent those areas within a given river basin where NCEEP resources can be most
efficiently focused for maximum benefit to local watershed functions. The NCEEP RBRPs are
periodically updated and presented on the NCEEP website http://www.nceep.net.

The NCEEP can perform restoration projects cooperatively with other state or federal programs
or environmental groups such as the Section 319 Program. Integrating wetlands or riparian area
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restoration components with Section 319-funded or proposed projects will often improve the
overall water quality, hydrologic and habitat benefits of both projects.

The NCEEP is also developing comprehensive Local Watershed Plans, often within targeted
local watersheds identified in the RBRPs. Through the local watershed planning process,
NCEEP conducts comprehensive watershed assessments to identify stressors in local watersheds,
and then coordinates with local resource professionals and local governments to identify and
implement watershed projects and management strategies to address the problems. The local
watershed plans identify and prioritize wetland areas, stream reaches, riparian buffer areas and
BMPs that will provide water quality improvement, habitat protection and other environmental
benefits to the local watershed.

In the New River basin, NCEEP has initiated two stream restoration projects. These include: (1)
restoration of over 4,000 linear feet of streambank in the Brush Creek watershed (Section 3.4.5)
and (2) the potential to restore over 3,500 linear feet in the Big Horse Creek watershed (Section
2.4.2). NCEEP has also acquired two preservation projects that protect over 171 acres and
preserves over 15,000 linear feet of the mainstem of the South Fork New River.

A copy of the RBRP for the New River basin can be found on the NCEEP website at
http://www.nceep.net/services/restplans/watershedplans.html. For more information about NCEEP, visit
http://www.nceep.net/ or call [phone].

12.3.2 Clean Water Management Trust Fund

The CWMTF offers approximately $40 million annually in grants for projects within the broadly
focused areas of restoring and protecting state surface waters and establishing a network of
riparian buffers and greenways. In the New River basin, 26 projects have been funded for a total
of $5,440,080 (Table 22). For more information on the CWMTF or these grants, call (252) 830-
3222 or visit the website at www.cwmtf.net.
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Table 22 Projects in the New River Basin Funded by the Clean Water Management Trust
Fund

Project
Number
Application
Name
Proposed
Project Description
Amount
Funded
1997B-402
National Committee for the
New River (NCNR) –
Stream Restoration
Start riparian buffer planting and cleanup
program on New River through River Builders
Program.
$75,000
1998A-402 Boone – Stream Restoration /
Boone Creek
Restore approximately 1/2 mile of Boone Creek,
just upstream of Winklers Creek. $522,000
1998A-803 Conservation Fund – New River
Watershed Planning & Outreach
Conduct a watershed planning and outreach
effort in the New River Watershed. $92,500
1998B-401 Boone – Restoration /
South Fork New River
Restore approximately 1,700 feet of the South
Fork New River. $372,000
1998B-406 NC WR – Ore Knob Mine
Restoration / Peak Creek
Assess acid pollution from abandoned Ore
Knob Mine, design and construct treatment to
protect Peak Creek from acid runoff, maintain
treatment system and monitor for at least 20
years. USACE must first determine if project is
feasible.
$1,033,680
1999A-011 Ashe County –
Creeper Trail Feasibility Study
Conduct study to determine feasibility of
extending the Virginia Creeper Trail into North
Carolina along Big Horse Creek.
$636,000
1999A-402 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation –
Restoration / Big Pine Creek
Restore 800 feet of eroding stream banks and
riparian areas (both sides of a 400 foot stream
segment) and exclude livestock from 2,000 feet
of Big Pine Creek. Monitor suspended
sediment in stream above and below project
area during and after project implementation.
$8,000
1999A-409 NCNR – Stream Buffer Plantings Continue buffer planting program along 5.3
miles of New River. $90,200
2000A-006 NCNR – Acquisition & Greenway
/ South Fork New River
Acquire through fee simple purchase 97 acres
along the South Fork of the New River. Funds
also available to explore acquisition of three
additional donated or purchased easements.
$329,000
2000B-002
Conservation Fund &
NC Parks & Recreation –
River House Acquisition
Acquire through permanent conservation
easements 34 acres along the North Fork of the
New River. Secure option to purchase riparian
buffers on another tract for New River State
Park.
$225,000
2001A-024
New River Community Partners
(NRCP) – Waterfalls Creek Land
Acquisition
Provide funds to acquire an option, appraisal,
and survey for 40 acres along Waterfalls Creek. $25,000
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2001A-404 NCNR – Stream Buffer Planting
Reestablish 6.3 miles of riparian buffer by
planting tree seedlings and live stakes. Monitor
for 10 years. Develop and install a residential
landscape model. Design and install whole tree
revetment demonstration site.
$73,000
2001B-014
Middle Fork Greenway
Association (MFGA) –
Acquisition / Middle Fork South
Fork New River & Payne Creek
Provide funds to cover transactional costs to
secure permanent conservation easements and
one long-term agreement on 10 tracts along
Middle Fork and Payne Branch. Establish 16
acres of riparian buffer to become part of a
greenway system.
$32,000
2001B-015 NCNR – Acquisition & Greenway
at Todd / South Fork New River
Acquire riparian portion (29 acres) of a 44-acre
tract along South Fork of the New River. $181,000
2001B-303
NRCP – CES Planning Position /
New River & Mount Jefferson
State Parks
Establish a 3-year position with the NC
Cooperative Extension Service to bring targeted
land under protection through fee simple
purchase or conservation easements in the New
River and Mount Jefferson State Parks and the
scenic section of the New River.
$150,000
2001B-404
NRCP – Restoration /
New River /
New River State Park
Stabilize 1,600 linear feet of streambank along
the New River. Establish vegetated permanent
riparian buffers. Includes WQ monitoring.
$57,000
2002A-015 NCNR – Acquisition /
Horner Tract
Acquire 45.5 acres through fee simple purchase
along the South Fork New River. CWMTF
would fund purchase of 50% of the tract.
$128,000
2002A-401
Boone - Stream Restoration /
South Fork New River,
Section 2
Establish stable 50-100 foot buffers and restore
stream along 4,000 feet of the South Fork New
River using natural channel design and donated
permanent conservation easements. Monitor
results quarterly for five years.
$700,000
2002A-403 NCNR - Buffer Restoration /
River Builder Project
Establish buffers along 37 miles of the New
River by planting trees. Landowners to sign a
15-year no-disturbance agreement, 30-year
contract or permanent easement depending on
the cost of the restoration.
$356,000
2002B-009
NCNR – Acquisition /
Blackburn Tract,
Todd South Fork Greenway
Acquire through fee simple purchase 7.6
riparian acres along the South Fork New River.
This property is part of an extensive protection
effort and will include an interpretive trail and
become part of a greenway system.
$147,700
2002B-403 MFGA – Acquisition /
South Fork New River Greenway
Fund transactional and option costs for five
donated permanent riparian easements along
4,300 feet of the South Fork New River. Tracts
will become part of a greenway project.
$25,000
2002M-002
Blue Ridge
Land Trust Minigrant /
Brush Creek
Minigrant to pay for pre-acquisition costs for
donated conservation easements on 1200 acres
that border Brush Creek, Little Pine Creek and
Big Pine Creek.
$25,000
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2002M-005
Blue Ridge Rural
Land Trust Minigrant /
Waterfall Creek
Minigrant to pay for transaction costs for the
donation of permanent conservation easements
on approximately 330 acres in three tracts along
Waterfall Creek.
$25,000
2003A-017
NCNR – Acquisition /
Wagner Tract,
Todd South Fork Greenway
Purchase permanent conservation easements on
25 riparian acres along the New River and a
tributary. Adds to an extensive protection effort
along the corridor.
$82,000
2003D-002
Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust –
Donated Minigrant, Ketchum
Tract / Piney Fork Creek
Minigrant to pay for transactional costs for a
donated easement on 81 acres along Piney Fork
Creek.
$25,000
2003D-003
Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust –
Donated Minigrant,
Tate Farm / Ripshin Creek
Minigrant to pay for transactional costs for a
donated easement on 488 acres along Ripshin
Creek and several tributaries.
$25,000
Total Funded $5,440,080
Notes:
(1) The entire New River basin is within the CWMTF’s Western Piedmont Region.
(2) The total funded amount excludes funded projects that were subsequently withdrawn by the applicant.
(3) Several regional and statewide projects were funded in areas that include the New River basin. These projects
include various riparian corridor planning projects and straight pipe/septic system discharge elimination
programs.
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