January 29, 2009 Issue
Restoring Kraut Creek
NCNR Applies for Grant To Address Mall Flooding
Imagine a drop of water imprisoned with several million other drops of water in a confined space. Then imagine a heavy rain adding several more millions of water droplets, each one rushing to escape the confined conditions. Once all those droplets escape, they rise and spread out, propelled by the water behind them.
And that’s exactly what happens in the Boone Mall parking lot during heavy rain events. Kraut Creek, imprisoned in a culvert from the Convocation Center to the mall, swells in volume and increases in velocity, rushing toward the opening and flooding the parking lot.
This flooding is a huge hassle for mall management and for folks who happen to be parked in the wrong place when the rains come. Every flood cleanup costs the mall between $2,000 and $3,000.
To try to find a way to prevent this problem, the National Committee for the New River is applying to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund for a $53,000 planning grant.
George Santucci, executive director of the National Committee for the New River, approached the Boone Town Council to request $5,000 in matching funds if the grant is awarded, and the council unanimously approved the request. The Boone Mall is also partnering in the effort by providing some matching funds.
“The whole point of the planning grant is to research and negotiate with landowners to see what’s possible,” Santucci said. One possibility is to connect the creek with a reconstructed floodplain in the lower part of the Boone Mall parking lot, with additional water directed to a natural wetlands just downstream. The planning grant will provide the funds to explore the feasibility of this option and others and to do the engineering necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of any proposed solution.
Flooding is not the only problem the creek’s current confinement poses. “It’s critical for these creeks to have an opportunity to flood,” Santucci said. “When the creek can’t get out of the bank, it becomes a massive amount of water moving very fast. The volume and velocity increase erosion and sediment. Kraut Creek is a tributary of Winkler’s Creek, a designated trout stream. Trout need crystal clear water and the sediment causes the trout to suffer by impacting their food sources.”
A designated floodplain and wetlands would provide the ability for the creek to flood naturally without causing the damage that currently results from heavy rains, he said.
The proposed project area is from just above the mall to Meadowview Drive, Santucci said, representing the largest Kraut Creek restoration project so far in terms of distance.
“This is the third Kraut Creek project we’re applying for money for,” Santucci said. A restoration behind Café Portofino restaurant and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce was completed in 2008, and a new project will start soon at Jimmy Smith Park to help mitigate stormwater challenges. In addition, Appalachian State University has plans and funding in place to begin another creek restoration project adjacent to Varsity Gym.
Santucci said the Clean Water Management Trust Fund will announce the grant awards in September.
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