Retrofitting with LID in the Burnt Mill Creek

Retrofitting with LID in the Burnt Mill Creek Watershed Wilmington, NC Jason Wright, Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, NCSU Christy Perrin & Patrick Beggs, Watershed Education for Communities and Local Officials, NCSU Stormwater Engineering

Burnt Mill Creek Watershed Wilmington Watersheds BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

Burnt Mill Creek Watershed, Wilmington, NC: 303(d) Stream BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

Burnt Mill Creek Land Use BAE Stormwater Engineering Group l 55% Residential l 19% Commercial & industrial www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

l l Increased velocity & quantity of stormwater runoff Heavily polluted by bacteria and PAHs (toxic organic substances resulting from combustion) BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

New Hanover Local Watershed Planning l l l BAE Stormwater Engineering Group Sponsored by NC EEP from 2001 -2002 WECO convened local watershed group to guide plan Watershed health of Burnt Mill Creek & 2 others was assessed, projects identified www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

Partnership received EPA 319 Grant for Burnt Mill Creek 2004 -2007 1. 2. 3. Design and Construct 6 large BMPs Community Outreach and involvement, resulting in many small backyard BMPs Water quality monitoring BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

Goals of Current Burnt Mill Creek Project l Improve water quality in the creek l Demonstrate specific practices improve water quality in targeted subcatchments l Determine realistic improvement goals for urban watershed restoration BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

Strategies for Achieving Goals of Burnt Mill Creek Project l Change the public’s behavior through education and involvement l Install Best Management Practices (BMPs) at large scale and backyard scale l Monitor results of activities to gauge effectiveness and hone strategy BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater

Identifying potential BMP locations l l l Some identified in 2002 EEP LWP Group brainstorm sessions Group windshield surveys (headwaters) Friend of a friend… Referrals from City Stormwater Services Suggestions from partners BAE Stormwater Engineering Group www. bae. ncsu. edu/stormwater