Project Description
Ivy Creek Stream Restoration Nutrient Bank
Ecosystem Services was contracted to establish a nutrient credit offset bank in the Rivanna / James River watershed. This project was the second bank permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality that used stream restoration as a method for generating nutrient credits (our Arey Farm project was the first!). The project consisted of restoring 4 tributaries of Ivy Creek located in Albemarle, VA. The unrestored streams were heavily degraded due to a lack of riparian vegetation and impacts from upstream urban development. The restoration approach utilized the removal of legacy sediment, development of floodplain benches, and natural channel design elements.
Ecosystem Services provided the following services: USACE delineation and confirmation, BANCS assessment, geomorphic assessment and survey, nutrient bank permitting, stream restoration design, construction administration, and monitoring.
Construction of this project was completed by River Works in spring 2017. The project was funded by a private landowner and entrepreneur. The project sourced local material where possible and every effort was made to reduce costs including balancing cut and fill, sourcing materials on site including logs, woods, and salvaged streambed materials, and going above and beyond on construction administration to avoid change orders and time delays. In addition, the project made heavy use of vegetation in place of rock to ensure bank stability.
Goals
- An approved nutrient reduction certificate for stream restoration activities
- Improved local water quality from reduction of sediment and nutrients reaching downstream waterways
- Improved aquatic and terrestrial habitat
Services: Regulatory, Plan Production and Mapping, Stream and Wetland Design, Nutrient
