Glade Creek Water Quality Improvement Project

Restoration of Glade Creek, Vinyard Park

Phase 1

Glade Creek was experiencing excessive erosion where it passes through Vinyard Park. In some areas, there were near vertical banks almost 10 feet in height. The County obtained a Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) grant from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and procured a Design-Build Contractor. Permitting for the project was complicated by the need to obtain a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biological opinion, as Glade Creek is habitat for an endangered freshwater fish, known as the Roanoke Logperch, shown on this page.

The restoration of 2,500 feet of stream in the upper part of Vinyard Park is expected to decrease sediment discharge by 831 tons per year. This project lowers both sediment and bacteria (E-coli) discharges.

Project Summary

Project completed December 31, 2016
2,500 linear feet of stream restored
831 tons per year of sediment load reduction
- Note that the pollutant load reduction value for this project was estimated using the Chesapeake Bay Program Interim Rate, as reported in the respective grant application package that was submitted to DEQ.
Total Cost $888,000 (Local Contribution $448,000; SLAF Grant $440,000)

Compliance with MS4 Permit & Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Action Plan for Sediment Reduction

Implementation of this project also helps the County comply with its A4 permit requirements and its Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Action Plan for Sediment Reduction, the latter of which was developed to help reduce sediment loading to the area’s receiving waters.

Prior to construction: Steep and eroding banks at Glade Creek

Post-Construction: Naturally-restored banks at Glade Creek

What Can You Do at Home?

If you live near a stream, the single best thing you can do to protect its water quality is to create your own backyard buffer or ’No Mow’ zone. Healthy stream bank vegetation is the key to maintaining a healthy stream system. The roots of trees, shrubs, and grasses hold the soil in place and provide habitat to both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Even a "No Mow" zone of ten feet in width next to the stream can provide significant root mass for protecting the stream banks from erosion, while also serving as a filter for any stormwater runoff traveling over it.