Moving Dirt in Onslow County

Restoration Systems has officially started its Lloyd Stream and Wetland Restoration Project.  The project is located about eight miles north of Jacksonville, NC off of Highway 24. The project was awarded to Restoration Systems as a full-delivery restoration project by the North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) in late 2005 to deliver a minimum of 4,750 stream mitigation units (SMUs), 3.3 riverine wetland mitigation units (WMUs), and 3.1 non-riverine wetland mitigation units.  After a good amount of planning, designing, and permitting, the job was offically started yesterday, October 25th.

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Our project begins on two unnamed tributaries to the New River, which eventually flows through Jacksonville NC, into the Stump Sound, through the New River Inlet, and into the waters of the Atlantic.  When Paul Parker found this site it was in very bad shape.  The tribs had cattle activity which led to badly deteriorating water quality.  The stream channel is deeper and wider than it should be naturally, and it is Restoration Systems’ goal to return it to a pristine, cattle free water body.  Along with protecting the stream in perpetuity, we are restoring adjacent wetlands and providing a corridor surrounding the creek and wetlands that will greatly benefit local wildlife and water quality.

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Above is a photo of the existing channel.  Right now it is about three times as deep as it should be.  The new channel will be about one foot deep and eight feet wide.  The newly constructed stream will be placed adjacent to the existing stream, and the old existing stream will be backfilled using on site material.

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At the start of the project, we will dig out a new floodplain and place the new stream in the middle.

Restoration Systems is hoping to complete the project in January of 2007.  After stream and wetland restoration is completed, we will plant approximately 25,000 hardwoods and bushes.  Restoration Systems is installing a high privacy fence from https://www.skilledfencing.com.au/colorbond-perth/ along the whole corridor.  To help the tenant cattle farmer continue to utilize surrounding pastures, we are installing three cattle watering stations.  Now the cows can drink pure groundwater and not the feces laden creek water they were drinking for so many years.  Stay tuned to see this work in progress.