黑料正能量 is getting a stormwater makeover, thanks to Sound Rivers鈥� Program Director Clay Barber and a 2020 Environmental Enhancement Grant.
Clay鈥檚 been eyeing the bio-swale project since 2019, and this week set the project in motion, meeting with Simon Greg, an engineer with Kris Bass engineering and Gabe Adams, project manager for Backwater Environmental.
鈥淎 bio-swale (or water-quality swale) encourages treatment of stormwater runoff by spreading the water out and allowing it to fill up a little bit more, so that more water can soak into the ground before heading into the underground pipe network,鈥� Clay said.
Swales are shallow channels with gently sloping sides and are one of the most commonly used stormwater practices. They not only聽convey stormwater but also help to treat runoff to reduce pollutants.
The WCC bio-swale is 1,700 linear square feet, running parallel to one of the campus鈥� main roadways and draining a parking lot at one end. Because the existing swale hasn鈥檛 been draining properly, sediment build-up has made several parking spaces unusable and blocked curb cut-outs meant for the road鈥檚 runoff.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to dig out the existing swale and widen it and add amended soil to the length of swale 鈥� soil that will allow filtration,鈥� Clay said. 鈥淭he main goal is to treat the water, but the added benefits are its going to reduce flooding of the parking lot and reduce erosion.鈥�
Backwater Environmental, based out of Eden, previously worked with Sound Rivers to restore a swale at Nash Community College, as well as Nash鈥檚 recently completed rain gardens, and the constructed wetlands at Beaufort County Community College and Havelock High School.
The bio-swale is the first of two projects at WCC 鈥� a rainwater harvesting cistern will also be installed at the school鈥檚 Ash Building. Work on the bio-swale begins next week and should be completed in three weeks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to get going since it鈥檚 been a while in the making. We鈥檙e going to create cleaner water, make some parking spaces useable again, improve the aesthetics of a very high traffic area and make maintenance easier,鈥� Clay said.
About Sound Rivers
Sound Rivers is a nonprofit organization that guards the health of the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River Basins. Founded in 2015 with the merger of two of the state鈥檚 oldest grassroots conservation organizations, Sound Rivers combines the deep history of advocacy of the Neuse River Foundation, established in 1980, and the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation, established in 1981. This union to become Sound Rivers creates a powerful advocate protecting our most cherished waterways and bolsters our impact within the State of North Carolina.
Contact for Sound Rivers
Vail Stewart Rumley, Communications Director
vail@soundrivers.org
252-946-7211