Beaverdam Watershed Water Quality Project in Last Year of Funding

Notice the creek is muddy.  This project is working to minimize the sediment in Beaverdam creek and its tributaries.  

Although Beaverdam Creek flows through a picturesque landscape, the stream itself has been listed as “impaired” by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. The presence of several pollutants, such as biological pollutants, sediment, or high water temperatures, could be the cause of the “impaired” designation.  Impaired water quality from sediment, runoff and thermal pollution not only affects Beaverdam Creek, but the overall water quality of the Watauga River because Beaverdam Creek is a headwater stream.

The Watauga River Partners, a nonprofit environmental organization based out of Watauga County N.C., received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to develop a watershed rehabilitation plan for Beaverdam Creek, located in the western Watauga County community of Bethel. Developing a plan to remedy these impacts is important to water quality in the Watauga River basin.  Funding for the Beaverdam Creek Watershed Restoration Project has been used to help landowners prevent land loss, improve drinking water and fish habitats, and implement best management practices for their farms.

The Watauga River Partners have until the end of 2013 to provide financial assistance to residents who own land along Beaverdam Creek or its tributaries and are willing to share costs, labor and equipment. The funding may be used for plants along creek banks, rain gardens, alternate watering and feeding approaches, cattle crossings and fencing and other approved alternatives.   This is a great opportunity for landowners to not only improve their property, but to insure the Watauga River remains a vital, healthy waterway for fishing, habitat and drinking water.  Watauga River Partners is working with Watauga County Cooperative Extension and North Carolina Division of Soil and Water Conservation to install projects in the Beaverdam community.  

If you are interested in working with this project contact Ashley Wilson at 828-773-8652 or email her at Ashley@WataugaRiverPartners.org
About the Watauga River Partners:

The Watauga River Partners formed in 1999 as a chapter of the Western North Carolina Alliance in response to the growing pressures on the water quality of the Watauga River and its tributaries. The purpose of the organization is to educate the community about the Watauga River and to promote conservation and rehabilitation of the river. Watuaga River Partners’ efforts to protect the Watauga River serve communities along the 60-mile stretch of river. The Watauga River is perhaps the most outstanding natural resource of the North Carolina High Country, where it is a center for outdoor recreation, a site of scientific research, a fragile ecosystem that is home to endangered species of aquatic life, a source of high-quality water, and a contributor to local and regional economies.  http://wataugariverpartners.org/