Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration

Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration

Last year we got a letter from the City of Hendersonville. Actually we got two letters. They were planning streambank restoration and it would affect the log cabin and the land where we are building the new house. We got one letter for each property.

  • Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration
  • Comet Drive Streambank Restoration

On August 24, 2017 they had an open house and showed us the pictures of what they plan to do. It looks good! The point is to have less erosion in the tributaries so that the water will be clearer where it runs into Mud Creek. They are going to restore the streambanks and improve the areas where it has eroded.

The city of Hendersonville plans to restore 11,000 feet of and is reaching out to affected property owners for guidance.

The purpose of the multi-area streambank restoration project is to preserve property owners’ land and protect the city’s sewer infrastructure while improving the overall quality of Mud Creek. Fifteen eroded banks will be restored throughout the city along waterways that feed into Mud Creek.

Of the fifteen sites, two of them are ours.

Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration

Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration - Project Small House
Plan: Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration

So the plan for by the cabin is to shift the stream closer to the cabin. Which really puts it back where it was when I first bought the cabin.
They will remove the block wall on the neighbor’s side.
They will take out all the cane. Fine by me. It grows like crazy and is a lot of work.
Then they are going to grade and backfill.
The idea is to have a more gradual slope. We’ll see.

It looks like they are putting in a pool and two areas of riffle.

Typical Riffle - Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration - Project Small House
Typical Riffle – Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration
Typical Pool - Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration - Project Small House
Typical Pool – Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration

Planting Section

Planting - Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration – Project Small House
Planting – Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration

They will plant a row of trees above the bank at 12′ spacing, riparian seed mix, herbaceous plugs at baseflow planted at 3′ spacing and some kind of live stakes planted ever six inches.
Disturbed area outside of conservation easement shall be seeded with temporary seed mix. I’m guessing that means that if they kill the grass, they’ll plant it back.

Riparian Seed Mix?

I had to look that one up. A riparian site is a site adjacent to rivers and waterways with soils containing clay, high amounts of organic matter and/or saturated sand. Examples include river and streambanks or damp floodplains of rivers and streams.

Yup, that’s what we have.

A Riparian Seed Mix is a mix of seeds for grasses and forbs with extensive wildlife and pollinator value. It provides food and cover for songbirds, pheasants, deer and turkey.

A forb is an herbaceous flowering plant other than a grass. (I had to look that one up, too.)

They are working with the Asheville-based firm Wildlands Engineering. The streambanks will be restored with bioengineering methods; coconut fiber matting and vegetation that will establish deep rooting to stabilize the banks. They are planting all kinds of things.

They Are Starting

Finally, they got the money and they came out and surveyed. They sent us the final plan of what they are going to do.

The City has received a 20-year $2,982,484 state revolving loan (no interest) in order to restore these sites and to preserve the integrity of the City’s sewer infrastructure adjacent to these locations. This project will restore approximately 11,000-linear feet of streambank along these 15-sites.

Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration
Meadowbrook Terrace Streambank Restoration Plan
Comet Drive Streambank Restoration Plan
The Out of Control Bamboo or Cane
The Broken Retaining Wall
Pond & Streambank Restoration at Patton Park
Day 1 Restoring the Streambank at the Log Cabin
Day 2 Restoring the Streambank at the Log Cabin