BlackCreek-Final

Partnering with the Community
to Improve Water Quality in Black Creek

NC
319
Grant
Project Background
The Black Creek runs through the northern section of the
Town of Cary and flows into Lake Crabtree, providing
many recreational opportunities to residents. However,
due to the impacts of urban development, it has been on
North Carolina’s 303(d) impaired waters list for aquatic
life impairments since 1998. The Black Creek Watershed
Association (BCWA), a motivated group of residents and
local government organizations, developed a watershed
restoration and action plan to restore water quality in the
creek in 2009. Assessments from the BCWA found high
fecal coliform bacteria levels and nutrient loads from
excessive stormwater runoff were primary causes of the
impairment. In 2015, the Water Resources Research
Institute (WRRI) was awarded an EPA Clean Water Act
Section 319 Grant to continue 10 years’ worth of efforts
to restore the Black Creek by partnering and engaging
with the community.
Overview
River Basin: Neuse
County: Wake
319 Funding: $143,870
Total Cost: $242,204
Project sites along Black Creek in the Upper Crabtree watershed
Student and parent help plant the
Kingswood bioretention area
Project Approach
Community engagement was a key component of this
project in order to build local awareness and involvement.
The community organizations involved included
Kingswood Elementary School and Beechtree Homeowners
Association (HOA), in addition to the Town of Cary. The
success of implementing Green Infrastructure at
Kingswood Elementary School brought attention to the
benefits of stormwater management within environmental
education. The 4 residential rain gardens integrated
within the Beechtree neighborhood fostered new
stewardship in a local community. Finally, the project
provided recommendations for the Black Creek Greenway
renovations to further improve stream health in the Black
Creek and other creeks in town.
BMPs Implemented
Outreach Efforts
Outreach efforts conducted throughout the project
period were designed to engage and inspire people of
all ages within the community. This helped grow local
knowledge of stormwater processes as well as
community ownership of watersheds. Outreach efforts
included:
• A curriculum to engage Kingswood Elementary
students with their stormwater retrofits
• 5 community volunteer rain garden planting events
• 3 community volunteer rain garden care events
• 2 Big Sweep for Black Creek stream clean-up events
• An invasive plant removal event
Project Manager Interview:
Fostering Community-Driven Stewardship
Christy Perrin of WRRI has worked closely with the
Beechtree neighborhood residents for almost a decade,
identifying and installing stormwater management
projects to improve water quality in Black Creek. At
the close of this project, the Beechtree Homeowners
Association acquired a new round of
319 funding to spearhead their
own watershed initiatives. The
project incudes the removal of
two old stormwater pond dams,
stream restoration, and
implementation of green
stormwater infrastructure along a
tributary to Black Creek.
Residents participating in a
streambank stabilization workshop
Painted water cistern outside
Kingswood Elementary School
*Match amounts include cash and in-kind services
319 Grant Administrator: Rishi Bastakoti
Email: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone]
Learn more about the 319 Grant on the
North Carolina Department of Environmental
Quality website.
Project Funding
Kingswood Elementary Beechtree neighborhood
2,100 gallon cistern 135 ft of streambank
stabilization
796 ft2 bioretention area 4 rain gardens