Restoring Bradley and Hewletts Creek through

Community Partnerships and Voluntary Participation

Erin S. CareyWatershed Coordinator, City of Wilmington

WILMINGTON

Bradley & Bradley & HewlettsHewletts Creeks Creeks Watershed Restoration PlanWatershed Restoration Plan

• Funded- Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant -NC Division of Water Quality

• Approved by the Wilmington City Council In 2012

• Branded as the ‘Heal Our Waterways’ Program

Highlights of PlanHighlights of Plan• TMDL• Volume reductions- BMPs

– Retrofits on public properties– Voluntary retrofits on private

property• Track progress

• Long Term • Partnerships critical to success

Objectives and ActionsObjectives and Actions1. Continue existing programs

that address water quality impairments in both watersheds

2. Determine appropriate water quality classifications and designated uses where water quality impairment exists

3. Track the reduction of bacteria transport from land to water

4. Focus stormwater reduction efforts in locations where they will yield the greatest and most cost effective volume reductions

5. Form and maintain Partnerships

6. Evaluate success and modify plan based upon results

Hydrograph goalsHydrograph goals--• Reduction to shellfish closure-year

hydrograph volumes– 2010- Baseline

• 2006, 2002, 1998, 1981– Both creeks

• Bradley: 6%, 23%, 34%, 58%- reduction• Hewletts: 6%, 18%, 24%, 50%- reduction

19811998200220062010

19811998200220062010

Division of Water Quality Division of Water Quality –– Saltwater Classifications Saltwater Classifications

• SC– All saltwater bodies– Aquatic Life– Secondary Recreation (i.e. boating)

• SA– Shellfish Harvest

• SB– Primary Recreation (i.e. swimming)

Meet The WatershedsMeet The Watersheds• City of Wilmington• Bradley Creek• Hewletts Creek

•Classified SC•7.2 square miles•85% developed•14,780 residents•23% impervious

Bradley CreekBradley Creek• Creek proper classified SC

– Not in violation• Will never be opened for

shellfish harvest– Marina Rule

• Impacts Banks Channel – SA waters currently closed

•Classified SA•11.6 square miles•85% developed•24,746 residents•19% impervious

HewlettsHewletts CreekCreek• Largest of two watersheds

• Closures much more recent• SA waters can be opened

for shellfish harvest

• NC Water Quality 2010 Assessment and Impaired Waters 303(d) Cat. 5

1981

HewlettsHewletts Watershed Land Watershed Land CoverCover

2010

HewlettsHewletts Watershed Land Watershed Land CoverCover

Increased Increased ImperviousImpervious

1981

2010

Progression of closures-1978

Progression of closures- 2007

Perception vs. Reality

(kinda)

The dirty truth?The dirty truth?• Wilmington Historically Plagued chronic spills

• Bradley- closed in 1947

• Hewletts- ongoing issues

• Failing infrastructure

Public OpinionPublic Opinion• Closings associated

with sewage spills, failing systems

• Assumed culprit: human waste

RealityReality• Wastewater facilities centralized

• Upgrades to infrastructure reduced incidence of sewage spills

• Still bacteria counts in the creeks rise; waters remained impaired

•If not sewage, than what?

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FUTCH PAGES HOWE HEWLETTS WHISKEY BRADLEY

FEC

AL C

OLI

FOR

MS

(CFU

/ 100

mL)

PER

CEN

T IM

PER

VIO

US

CO

VER

AGE

TIDAL CREEK

Figure . Percent watershed impervious surface coverage versus geometric mean fecal coliform bacteria counts for six New Hanover County tidal creeks (modified from Mallin et al. 2001).

% IMP MEAN FC

14 CFU = shellfish closure threshold

Relationship Between Impervious Land Cover and Bacterial Contamination

Getting Started

Original PartnersOriginal PartnersGrantee: Grantee: North Carolina Coastal Federation

Contributing Partners:Contributing Partners:•The City of Wilmington•Withers & Ravenel Engineers•UNCW Center For Marine Science•Town of Wrightsville Beach

State Partners:State Partners:•DENR Shellfish Sanitation Section•DENR Division of Water Quality

Retrofits on Public PropertiesRetrofits on Public Properties

Ann Street Rain Garden

19th and ChurchPermeablePavement

Voluntary Retrofits on Private Voluntary Retrofits on Private PropertyProperty-- CommercialCommercial

Voluntary Retrofits on Private Voluntary Retrofits on Private PropertyProperty-- ResidentialResidential

Rain Garden

Rain Barrel

Courtesy: Maplewood, MN

Tracking Progress

WebWeb--Based Retrofit AtlasBased Retrofit Atlas Online Public Reporting ToolOnline Public Reporting Tool

Or Or

Creek CounterCreek Counter

GIS AtlasGIS Atlas-- akaaka Creek Creek CounterCounter

http://wilmingtonatlas.mobile311.com

Tool Tool –– Tracking and Scenario Tracking and Scenario AnalysisAnalysis

And Now?

In the WorksIn the Works• NERRS funded

Neighborhood Pilot Program and BMP retrofits – Banks Channel and

Hewletts Creek Watershed

In the WorksIn the Works• Bioretention cell

installation on Oleander Drive – Hewletts Creek

Watershed

WhatWhat’’s nexts next• Use feedback from

Pilot program– Modify materials,

message as needed– Note successes,

failures– Apply to program as a

whole

• Widespread Introduction of Heal Our Waterways– Website

• www.healourwaterways.com– Program specific campaigns/ events– GIS Atlas

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned……So FarSo Far• Substantial Groundwork

– TIME!– Learn audience– Educational materials– Legal Matters– Direction

• Goals• Timeline

And finallyAnd finally……• Multi-Disciplinary

– Outreach/ Education– Science– Public Relations– Networking

• Networking• Networking

Questions?

Erin S. Carey Watershed Coordinator

erin.carey@wilmingtonnc.gov 910 341 5892