Project 1

Project Title: Wetland Restoration/Stormwater Management Project

Agency: Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens

Project Implementation & Completion Dates:

• December 1, 1998 - Application for a Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) Grant
• February 23, 1999 - CWMTF committed $1 million to implement the project
• April 2003 - The project will be completed

Project Description: In 1997 the state of North Carolina acquired a 5.8-acre site along the Trent River in downtown New Bern for future use as an education and visitor center. This site will be developed during the next 5 years into that use to serve more than 100,000 visitors per year. Major components of this project will be

• Adding to the urban forest to inhibit runoff
• Removing 600 feet of bulkheading
• Constructing a permanent wetland to control stormwater runoff from the site
• Diverting an existing 30-inch stormwater drainage pipe to the site
  Outflow from the pipe will be filtered through a newly constructed stormwater retention basin
• Improving the lower Trent River water quality

Good progress has been made on the wetland restoration and stormwater management project.

• Spring 1999 - A tree planting project was conducted on a half acre of land that extends from the edge of the parking lot to the Trent River. The goal was to create a community of native tree species ranging from bald cypress and maple by the river's edge to upland species such as live oak. The actual planting was done with volunteers from the community and funded by a grant from the Arbor Day Association. The planting has resulted in less runoff from the parking lot into the river and more shade and wildlife habitat. Future plans call for an interpretive walk
  
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• October 25, 1999 - Members of the water quality advisory committee met in New Bern to discuss the project. This special advisory group includes representatives from
  • North Carolina Coastal Federation
  • N. C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
  • North Carolina State University
  • Other environmentally based organizations

  Several members of the project design team, including Roger Courtney of EDAW Landscape Architecture, and Mike Ortosky, Project Manager from Soil & Environmental Consultants, Inc., attended the meeting to gather design input. Following this meeting, the design team of Quinn Evans Architects and EDAW Landscape Architects began the process of developing a preliminary site plan that incorporates the ideas suggested by the water quality advisory committee.

• February 16, 2000 - The design team presented a proposed site plan to the Tryon Palace staff. The Tryon Place staff is still in the process of reviewing the site plan, which incorporates a number of environmentally sensitive features. The plan includes
  • Stormwater retention swells in the parking area
  • Stormwater filtering areas
  • Sizable shoreline marsh restoration
    
  Once the staff has completed the review, a proposed plan will be shared with members of the water quality advisory committee for review and comment.

Contact: Kay P. Williams, Administrator, Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens, Division of Archives and History, (252) 514-4900.

Actions necessary for implementation: The CWMTF approved $1 million in funding to implement the project. Prior to implementation, Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens completed a site environmental assessment and also developed a detailed site master plan. Tryon Palace staff is in the process of working with engineers to complete the wetland and retention pond designs. After the design is complete, our agency will put the project out for bid.

Anticipated Environmental Sustainability Benefits: Implementation of the project will help improve the management of stormwater runoff along 600 feet of the lower Trent River. By constructing a shoreline wetland, and by building a stormwater retention pond, the project will improve the water quality of the Trent River.