For Immediate Release
June 5, 2008
YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS
REVERSED BY CITY PROJECT
Charlotte, North Carolina – Most streams in Charlotte look pretty much the same- trees falling in, steep
banks and muddy water when it rains. Decades of paving over our natural areas have caused excessive amounts of
storm water runoff to erode people’s back yards, churn up muddy water, and literally move stream banks across the
land. Combine that with typical urban practices of treating lawns with chemicals, littering by the ton and mowing
the grass right up to the stream bank means poor water quality, loss of property and ugly scenery.
Recently Storm Water Services completed a project to restore a Briar Creek tributary near Central Avenue
and Eastway Drive. The goal: to reverse the conditions of prolonged development and urbanization. Several citizens
in the Cyrus/Douglas neighborhood requested service either for excessive erosion or flooding that had occurred over
the years. Storm Water Services responded by re-grading the stream banks with gentler slopes, maintaining the
stream bottom with rock structures, stabilizing the soil with native trees and shrubs, and re-creating the natural
floodplain for the stream.
More than 3,100 linear feet of stream was restored to its natural function. Projects such as the
Cyrus/Douglas project are formed based on citizen calls to 3-1-1 and careful evaluation of watersheds. The end
result is an upgraded natural feature in the middle of an urban landscape which provides shade, wildlife corridors,
increased property values and, eventually, improved water quality.
Storm Water Services rehabilitates, maintains and monitors nearly 3,000 miles of creeks and more than
twice that in underground storm water pipes. Water quality levels in our area continue to fall short of standards set
by the state mostly due to storm water runoff pollution and other human impacts. The Capital Improvement
Program managed by Storm Water Services plans and constructs several projects each year responding to hundreds
of citizens’ calls for help.
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For additional information contact:
Jennifer Krupowicz
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services
704-432-0970
704-507-6565 cell
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