Urban Waters Federal Partnership: Walnut Creek, Raleigh, North Carolina Active
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) geographic area has two Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) watersheds: Proctor Creek in Atlanta, GA, and Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC. The local efforts in Walnut Creek are supported by many partner organizations, including but not limited to: Partners for Environmental Justice, the Carolina Wetlands Association, the City of Raleigh, the Town of Cary, Wake County, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, and North Carolina State University. Funding partners include the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, and The Conservation Fund.
Urban Waters Federal Partnership
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) reconnects urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies, particularly those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution or economic distress. The UWFP draws upon Environmental Justice principles—the idea that all people, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or economic station, deserve fair treatment with regards to environmental laws and policy. The UWFP also collaborates with community-led revitalization efforts to improve our Nation's water systems and promote their economic, environmental, and social benefits. The USGS SAWSC serves as the lead federal agency for the Walnut Creek watershed.
Background and History
The Walnut Creek watershed is approximately 46 square miles and spans the communities of southern Raleigh and portions of nearby suburbs. As Walnut Creek flows eastward into South Raleigh, wetlands begin to occur in the stream’s riparian buffer. Concurrently, Interstate-40 and other developments confine and even encroach upon the Walnut Creek floodplain in South Raleigh. Consequently, low-lying downstream communities in Southeast Raleigh often experience severe floods. Development also has resulted in poor water quality throughout the entire mainstem of Walnut Creek, which is listed on the North Carolina 2020 Draft 303(D) List of Impaired Surface Waters for Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish tissue and benthos aquatic life.
In the mid-1990s, a group which came to be called Partners for Environmental Justice focused on a shared concern about the injustices facing the Rochester Heights community. Rochester Heights, located adjacent to Walnut Creek, is listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places, “built as one of only a handful of post-World War II subdivisions planned for and open to the Black community in the city” (NC State Historic Preservation Office 2011). Residents of Rochester Heights identified three environmental injustices: (1) homes near the Walnut Creek wetlands were frequently flooded, (2) trash was being dumped into the wetlands, and (3) the wetland ecosystem habitat was being destroyed by invasive plants and frequent flooding.
Current Efforts
Many partners, stakeholders, and community members are coming together to resolve environmental and social challenges in the Walnut Creek watershed. The Walnut Creek Wetland Community Partnership is a group of individuals from varying backgrounds who come together to discuss and improve the wetlands. Partners work together to identify and implement projects that support healthy wetlands and healthy communities. The Neighborhood Ecology Corps is a program for middle and high school students focused on building environmentally literate citizens with a holistic view of their communities through hands-on experiences. The Walnut Creek Watershed Action Team is a group of 30+ partner organizations and stakeholders including all levels of government, academic institutions, non-profit groups, faith-based organizations, and private firms.
Many stakeholders, including the U.S. Geological Survey, have come together to implement strategies to mitigate flooding in neighborhoods along Walnut Creek. For instance, in 2017 the City of Raleigh began a pre-storm drawdown program at Lake Johnson to increase storage capacity in the reservoir before large rainfall events. To improve flood preparedness and alerting, the City of Raleigh has created a Flood Early Warning System which includes flood warning signs that activate when water levels rise to a level that could flood the roadway. The USGS collects and provides hydrologic data in support of these programs.
More about other Urban Waters Federal Partnership projects
- Proctor Creek (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Little Calumet River (Northwest Indiana)
- San Antonio River Basin (Bexar County, Texas)
- Patapsco Watershed (Baltimore, Maryland)
- Middle Blue River Basin (Kansas City, Missouri)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) geographic area has two Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) watersheds: Proctor Creek in Atlanta, GA, and Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC. The local efforts in Walnut Creek are supported by many partner organizations, including but not limited to: Partners for Environmental Justice, the Carolina Wetlands Association, the City of Raleigh, the Town of Cary, Wake County, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, and North Carolina State University. Funding partners include the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, and The Conservation Fund.
Urban Waters Federal Partnership
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) reconnects urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies, particularly those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution or economic distress. The UWFP draws upon Environmental Justice principles—the idea that all people, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or economic station, deserve fair treatment with regards to environmental laws and policy. The UWFP also collaborates with community-led revitalization efforts to improve our Nation's water systems and promote their economic, environmental, and social benefits. The USGS SAWSC serves as the lead federal agency for the Walnut Creek watershed.
Background and History
The Walnut Creek watershed is approximately 46 square miles and spans the communities of southern Raleigh and portions of nearby suburbs. As Walnut Creek flows eastward into South Raleigh, wetlands begin to occur in the stream’s riparian buffer. Concurrently, Interstate-40 and other developments confine and even encroach upon the Walnut Creek floodplain in South Raleigh. Consequently, low-lying downstream communities in Southeast Raleigh often experience severe floods. Development also has resulted in poor water quality throughout the entire mainstem of Walnut Creek, which is listed on the North Carolina 2020 Draft 303(D) List of Impaired Surface Waters for Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish tissue and benthos aquatic life.
In the mid-1990s, a group which came to be called Partners for Environmental Justice focused on a shared concern about the injustices facing the Rochester Heights community. Rochester Heights, located adjacent to Walnut Creek, is listed as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places, “built as one of only a handful of post-World War II subdivisions planned for and open to the Black community in the city” (NC State Historic Preservation Office 2011). Residents of Rochester Heights identified three environmental injustices: (1) homes near the Walnut Creek wetlands were frequently flooded, (2) trash was being dumped into the wetlands, and (3) the wetland ecosystem habitat was being destroyed by invasive plants and frequent flooding.
Current Efforts
Many partners, stakeholders, and community members are coming together to resolve environmental and social challenges in the Walnut Creek watershed. The Walnut Creek Wetland Community Partnership is a group of individuals from varying backgrounds who come together to discuss and improve the wetlands. Partners work together to identify and implement projects that support healthy wetlands and healthy communities. The Neighborhood Ecology Corps is a program for middle and high school students focused on building environmentally literate citizens with a holistic view of their communities through hands-on experiences. The Walnut Creek Watershed Action Team is a group of 30+ partner organizations and stakeholders including all levels of government, academic institutions, non-profit groups, faith-based organizations, and private firms.
Many stakeholders, including the U.S. Geological Survey, have come together to implement strategies to mitigate flooding in neighborhoods along Walnut Creek. For instance, in 2017 the City of Raleigh began a pre-storm drawdown program at Lake Johnson to increase storage capacity in the reservoir before large rainfall events. To improve flood preparedness and alerting, the City of Raleigh has created a Flood Early Warning System which includes flood warning signs that activate when water levels rise to a level that could flood the roadway. The USGS collects and provides hydrologic data in support of these programs.
More about other Urban Waters Federal Partnership projects
- Proctor Creek (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Little Calumet River (Northwest Indiana)
- San Antonio River Basin (Bexar County, Texas)
- Patapsco Watershed (Baltimore, Maryland)
- Middle Blue River Basin (Kansas City, Missouri)