July 3, 2008 issue
Kraut Creek’s Natural Beauty Returns with Restoration Project
Story by Diana Godwin
Kraut Creek was known for many years as the dumping ground for a nearby sauerkraut factory. Now the task of restoring this historic Boone waterway has taken a major step forward. The first phase of the Kraut Creek restoration project was completed on June 27, and the landscaping and stabilization of the creek environment behind Café Portofino has already stirred interest in additional creek renewal.
The creek will once again serve as a sanctuary for birds. Within a month, the lowlands adjacent to the creek will be green with new growth. Within a year, the shrubs and trees will grow vigorously, and within two years, the area between the rear wall of Café Portofino and downtown parking lots will become a pocket of paradise for downtown Boone, according to the predictions of Adam Williams, project construction director and creek restoration specialist.
The creek’s lower banks are lined with lengths of coconut matting punctuated with silky willow cuttings that will soon sprout. Natural plants of many varieties, including colorful cardinal flowers, flame azaleas, mountain laurel and native rhododendron will be planted under red maple, sycamore and ash trees.
The creek will be buffered by stands of silky dogwoods and willows. Natural herbs and shrubs will decrease the impact of stormwater runoff, and rocks now shelter the creek bed from the sediment and runoff resulting from sudden downpours. The bottomland on the Café Portofino side of the project is now a permeable planted slope that will filter runoff and mitigate flooding.
The National Committee for the New River wrote and received a grant from the NC Clean Water Management Trust fund to finance the Kraut Creek work. Lynn Caldwell of the National Committee for the New River was the director of restoration and administered the grant funds. The project was a cooperative demonstration project of the Kraut Creek committee, ASU and the Boone Chamber of Commerce. Cash and in-kind donations from ASU and many local organizations and downtown businesses increased the scope of the restoration.
The Kraut Creek Committee led the effort to restore the creek. ASU members included Patrick Beville, an engineer with Appalachian’s Office of Design and Construction, and Jana Carp, an ASU professor of geography and planning. Teresa Buckwalter, an environmental landscaper on the staff of the High Country Conservancy, developed several natural landscaping plans. “This was an opportunity to create a balance between a scientific approach and simply bringing people to see the creek as a great amenity,” said Buckwalter.
Wendy Patoprsty, the Watauga County River Watershed coordinator, contributed her expertise in waterway restoration techniques. Bunk Spann, formerly of the Boone Town Council, also served on the committee, and Nancy Reigel of Mountain Keepers served as the Kraut Creek Committee director.
Williams, a stream engineer and president of Brushy Fork Environmental Consulting, developed and implemented the final stages of the bank enhancement project. A seven-man crew from Williams’ firm handled the reconstruction.
Stream restoration is Williams’ passion. “Kraut Creek has been pushed aside and developed upon. It has been built on top of from the beginning of the history of Boone. This is an opportunity to offset and reverse these impacts,” he said.
The project originated from an ASU project management class study Carp led in 2004. It expanded into a demonstration of creek restoration techniques, and then developed into an expansive vision of returning more of the waterway to its former balance.
ASU science students will monitor the creek to determine the impact of the restoration.
“It was great to be able to enhance the creek and to be a part of a cooperative effort for the environment, and the community will be happy with the results,” Beville said.
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