Mills River Partnership responds to water quality concerns
Published: Monday, January 26, 2004 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 26, 2004 at 12:00 a.m.
As most people know, the Mills River is the main water supply for Henderson County.
In a response to concerns of water quality degradation of the Mills River, the Mills River Partnership was formed in 1998.
In July 2000, Tom Burnet was hired as resource coordinator of the Mills River Watershed Protection Project.
The N.C. Clean Water Management Trust gave the partnership two grants to implement measures to improve water quality in the watershed. All the projects are voluntary, so it is up to landowners to sign up for these programs.
With this grant, many landowners signed up for practices similar to those implemented by the N.C. Cost Share Program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Environmental Quality Incentive Program.
These practices include two feed-waste barns and four watering tanks to prevent erosion caused by cattle, one agrochemical handling facility for farmers to safely fill their spray tanks away from the river and six streambank stabilization projects to prevent streambank erosion, a source of sediment pollution.
In addition, the partnership included additional projects to improve water quality in the Mills River Watershed.
Planting trees near a stream provides multiple benefits. The destructive force of flood waters is reduced on the streambanks and in the floodplain by lowering the water's velocity. The ability of the land to resist erosion is increased with deeper roots. Nutrients in the groundwater coming from adjacent fields can be absorbed by the trees. Habitat is provided for deer. Woody debris that falls in the streams provides food and shelter for the aquatic organisms on which fish depend. Trees also provide shade to help maintain the cold water temperatures on which trout depend.
Although the grants from CWMTF have recently expired, a new grant from EPA allows the watershed effort to continue.
This spring four riparian plantings are scheduled with the N.C. Forest Service.
Recently, Van Wingerden International has requested assistance addressing stormwater runoff. Presently, three stormwater wetlands are being designed for the greenhouses.
The partnership has also established a sediment monitoring program in the watershed. Sediment is currently the number one source of water pollution in North Carolina.
Potential hazardous spills on N.C. 280 are also a threat to water quality. In response to this threat, the partnership is working with the N.C. Department of Transportation to establish practices to minimize the impacts of a spill. There are two measures that are being considered: road signs giving emergency information and controls to prevent the spills from entering the Mills River.
For more information on the Mills River Watershed Protection Project, contact Burnet by calling 697-4949 or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org or visit www.hendersoncountync.org/soil/millsriverweb1.html.
Tree seedlings may also be purchased from the Henderson County Soil and Water Department. For more information about the tree seedling sale, visit www.hendersoncountync.org/soil/ or call 697-4949.
Tom Burnet is the resource coordinator of the Mills River Watershed Protection Project with the Soil and Water Conservation Service.
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