Stonecoal Branch and Slabcamp Creek Stream and Wetland Restoration

WSSI, contracted as Riverine, transformed 16,921 linear feet of Stonecoal Branch and Slabcamp Creek from channelized streams and sediment-clogged low lands in a logged and farmed landscape into healthy waterways and some of the most diverse emergent wetlands in eastern Kentucky.

The Challenge

Return hydrological and biological function to a national forest landscape and waterway scarred by channelization, logging, and agriculture to provide Fee In Lieu Of restoration projects for Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Our Solution

We utilized floodplain topography, impounded sections of the pre-existing channel, and constructed new channels to create a carbon-rich aquifer and wetland-stream system with a mix of single thread and multiple-thread gravel bed channels.

Staff used a 2D model based on our extensive site data collection to design a meandering floodplain 30 to 50 feet wide. Excavation at the site revealed an organic layer indicative of relic wetlands which had been covered by sediment deposition from logging and hillside farming.

We removed the excess sediment, established new channels, and planted bare root native trees and shrubs, along with annual grasses for ground cover. The site has successfully revegetated without additional plantings.

More than 160 native volunteer wetland plant species were present when the Kentucky Division of Water conducted fifth growing season monitoring. The streams are now home to more diverse and abundant aquatic fish populations, including several sensitive species.

Awards

This integrated stream and wetland design and restoration project is held up as an example in U.S. EPA Functional Assessment and Restoration workshops. The U.S. Forest Service honored it with the Regional Forester Natural Resource Honors Award.