Little Sugar Creek: Restoring One of Charlotte’s Largest and Most Degraded Systems
Jason Claudio-Diaz, PE, CFM
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
Charlotte, North Carolina
David Woodie, PE, CPSWQ
Charlotte/Mecklenburg County Government of Charlotte, NC
Charlotte, NC
Authors:
-- Brian Sikes – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services
-- David Woodie, PE, CPSWQ, Charlotte/Mecklenburg County Government of Charlotte, NC
-- Jason Claudio-Diaz, PE, CFM - Kimley- Horn and Associates
Little Sugar Creek flows through the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, and was once one of the most degraded streams in Mecklenburg County. There have been numerous restoration efforts throughout this watershed over the past 20 years. The segment of Little Sugar Creek from Archdale Drive to Interstate 485 represents a particularly challenging reach within a corridor that historically contained a variety of development sites, including industrial, commercial, and residential. This segment consists of approximately 4.4 miles of stream and has a drainage area of almost 50 square miles of mostly urban areas. This presentation will highlight the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services' effort to restore this watershed and the complexities and design decisions for the Archdale Drive to Interstate 485 segment. Several design approaches and decisions were unique to this project, and we will discuss how our team designed this project from the bottom up. We will also touch on how this project helped facilitate the construction of an adjacent greenway project and reduced flood impacts within this highly residential/sub-urban corridor. And finally, we will discuss lessons learned along the way.
About Jason Claudio-Diaz, PE, CFM
Jason offers 20 years of experience providing planning, design, and construction administration services on stream restoration projects throughout the Southeast. He has successfully implemented restoration projects (mitigation and nonmitigation) in several states, including NC, SC, WV, TN, TX, OK and GA. Jason manages an experienced team of natural systems restoration professionals. He has extensive experience planning and implementing mitigation and non-mitigation projects and working with a variety of public and private clients. Jason focuses on urban and suburban restoration where he and his team bring a collaborative approach that emphasizes innovation. The approach emphasizes stability and uplift using an iterative process that includes advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and natural channel design techniques. Jason has managed and designed approximately 100,000+ linear feet of stream restoration or stabilization projects in the Carolinas. Those projects range in size, complexity, and setting, bringing a broad and local experience to his team.”
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-claudio-diaz-p-e-cfm-a622a453/
About David Woodie
Currently serves as the Storm Water Services Project Manager for Charlotte/Mecklenburg County Government of Charlotte, NC. David has over 25 years of professional experience in construction, survey, water resources, bridge/hydraulic design, bmp design, and both bmp/stream construction. Working through private sector, State and Local Government, David has constructed major highway projects, 140+ Best Management Practices across the state of North Carolina as well as implemented over 30 miles of stream restoration in Mecklenburg County. David is a Professional Engineer.