Thread by @triblogblog

Thread:

Let's talk about riparian zones.

A riparian zone is the vegetated lined corridor at the edge of streams, rivers, and lakes. The soil and vegetation along riparian zones are shaped by water, and they serve as important natural filters for pollutants, including sediment and nutrients that can flow into the stream.

The riparian zone next to the Bolin Creek in Carrboro is not healthy. There is no vegetative cover in many places, and the velocity and volume of stormwater that enter the creek is large.

Conditions on the easement were and continue to be bleak and well documented. This is from a Town of Carrboro staff memo

Greenway opponents often cite research about the negative impacts of locating pavement next to streams, but also carefully elide the fact that we have a 30-foot wide impervious path next to the creek right now - one that's hurting our creek.

A major argument for co-locating the greenway with the sewer easement is that doing so would actually shrink the total amount of impervious surface along the creek because in dedicating 10 ft. to pavement for trail users we can reclaim the other 20-40ft with vegetation.

There is a large body of research that supports this.  Riparian zones – that is, the land right next to the creek – can be improved by creating a small paved path that contains humans and allows for environmental restoration of the streambank.

We suggest reading some of the cited sources in this paper ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

or this 2009 letter sent to Carrboro by Chuck Flink, an internationally-renowned greenway designer who has integrated environmental restoration and flooding mitigation into many of his projects around the country. triangleblogblog.com/wp-content/upl…

You can also read this memo prepared by Carrboro town staff, in conjunction with OWASA, UNC and environmental consultants. triangleblogblog.com/2023/02/10/thi…

Improving the riparian zone is good for all of us. It can improve water quality — green space created by these natural corridors helps to mitigate storm-water runoff and encourage water table recharge. carolinathreadtrail.org/trail-benefits/

The @EPA points to ecological restoration efforts in Wake Forest, where efforts to create a greenway went hand in hand with improving the riparian buffer, erosion control, and stormwater control measure.

You can read more on the FAQ prepared by the Carrboro Linear Parks Project: carrborolinearparksproject.org/learn/faq#h.xa…