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Peggy’s Pond – A (Dam) Good Solution - A Dam Removal Case Study

David Hursey, PE
Kimley-Horn
Raleigh, North Carolina

Peggy’s Pond, behind Ailey Young Park in Wake Forest, North Carolina, has existed for decades. Around 2014, the Town completed a structural inventory of bridges and dams in their parks and discovered erosion issues at the Peggy’s Pond dam. Coincidentally, plans for a renovation of Ailey Young Park and installation of a greenway parallel to the stream and pond were underway around this time. After an initial site visit and feasibility analysis, it was determined that the best solution for providing long term stability, improving riparian and wetland habitat, reducing nutrient loading from erosion, and reducing the Town’s liability would be to remove the dam. The Project Manager at the Town worked tirelessly to obtain grants to fund a stream restoration for this area. Once funded, the project included approximately 500 linear feet of stream restoration split between the upstream and downstream portions of the pond, native vegetation planting, and installation of educational signs. Additionally, the project included constructing a beautiful overlook deck with a boardwalk that will connect to the proposed greenway. The pond bottom was largely left as-is to keep the existing seed bed undisturbed—and because it was unlikely the soil would be dry enough to support construction equipment during the project timeline. The Peggy’s Pond project incorporated many lessons learned from previous projects, and many more lessons were learned along the way. This presentation covers:

  • Grant funding – potential sources and how to support your application

  • Creating the “biggest bang for your buck” restoration with strategic begin and end points

  • Working with the existing natural system and not against it

  • Providing opportunities for engagement through community education and access to the restored channel

  • Seeking contractor feedback on draft construction drawings

  • Working with greenway designers

  • Lessons learned about engaging the public

About David Hursey, PE

David Hursey, P.E. (Kimley-Horn) is a water resources specialist with Kimley-Horn focusing on stormwater projects in central North Carolina. He has extensive experience in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, roadway drainage design and drainage studies, flood studies for land development, and stream restoration and watershed studies. David also has a background in permit preparation, erosion/sediment control design, and permitting coordination with municipal and state agencies. He has provided these services on numerous types of projects, including large NCDOT roadway projects, SCM retrofit projects, greenway projects, and municipal drainage and stream restoration projects. Several of his stream restoration projects include Ailey Young Park Dam Removal and Stream Restoration project in Wake Forest, NC; South Buffalo Creek Water Quality and Habitat Improvement Project in Greensboro, NC; Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Streambank Repairs in Durham, NC; and Downtown Greenway College Branch Enhancement in Greensboro, NC.