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Catheys Creek Restoration and Municipal Water Intake Rehabilitation

Greg Jennings, PhD, PE,
Jennings Environmental PLLC
Asheville, NC

Catheys Creek is a tributary to the French Broad River in the Pisgah National Forest in the North Carolina. The City of Brevard, NC, draws its water supply from Catheys Creek under a Special Use Permit with the US Forest Service. The creek and its watershed are heavily used for recreational activities, including trout fishing, swimming, hiking, and camping. Due to streambank erosion and runoff from the adjacent gravel road, excessive sedimentation was a continuing problem for the municipal water intake and for water quality and habitat in the stream. A stream restoration project was initiated in 2018 with the following components: (1) stream channel realignment and floodplain re-connection to provide natural equilibrium bankfull morphology; (2) in-stream structures including log and rock vanes for hábitat enhancement and erosion reduction; (3) streambank wood toe revetments to reduce erosion in meander bends and enhance aquatic hábitat; (4) planting native riparian vegetation; and (5) relocation of the water intake pipe upstream to a scour pool maintained by a boulder cross vane structure.

Construction and planting were completed in 2020. Project success is being monitored for physical stability and biological community assessments of fish and macroinvertebrates. Results to date indicate that the stream system is stable with a growing diverse plant and animal community. This presentation will highlight lessons learned during and following project implementation while highlighting the need for long-term monitoring studies to evaluate ecosystem restoration performance.