Council eyes plans to restore creek in city park

ASHEBORO — The Asheboro City Council heard recommendations to try and improve Haskett Creek where it flows through North Asheboro Park.

The consultant team for the Haskett Creek Watershed Plan went through a list of repairs to help capture stormwater runoff at the council meeting on Nov. 6.

For approximately 20 years, the stream has been designated a 303(d) impaired stream, which means it cannot sustain aquatic organisms. 

Asheboro received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) to develop the Haskett Creek Watershed Plan.

Presenters from the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC), the Piedmont Preservation Council, and Kris Bass Engineering went over the problems around the park and a suggested design for more vegetation and wetlands.

Hope Stuart, environmental planner for PTRC, said the stream suffers from unstable banks and a lack of vegetation, leading to erosion.

 Furthermore, the upstream neighborhood was built before current stormwater regulations. She explained that they want to capture the runoff before it reaches the creek.

The team presented a list of recommendations:

■ New wetlands and enhancements of current wetlands.

■ Cisterns near the picnic area.

■ Enhancement of existing water quality swales to filter out sediment.

■ Repairs to existing stormwater inlets.

■ Recreation of natural stream features like riffle pools and deep pools to control water speed.

■ 50-foot buffer on each side.

■ Covering of existing sewer facilities.

■ Cross vein near the bridge to prevent erosion to bridge pilings.

Stuart said work needs to be done on about 700 linear feet of Haskett Creek and about 500 linear feet of an unnamed tributary.

The public would see temporary signs about the restoration, to be replaced by permanent signs to explain the new vegetation and document the work.

The consultants also said this plan preserves the pathways to the disc golf nets, which Council member Charles Swiers praised. “Every time I’m there, I see people walking around with disc golf bags,” he said. “I’m glad to see you help them out, enhancing their round.”

Council member Kelly Heath said, “The visual designs to that park are very good and very necessary.”

Mayor-elect Joseph Trogdon, Jr. asked about future maintenance of these new measures. Danica Heflin, environmental programs coordinator for PTRC, said the new plants must be left alone for one or two growing seasons so that native vegetation can take root, and then it can be mowed.

Once the design is complete, they will put it out to bid with a goal of finishing it by 2027.

These recommendations are unrelated to the wastewater lawsuit going through the state appeals court. Downstream communities challenged a judge’s ruling in favor of Asheboro. He found that NC DEQ did not have the authority to require the Asheboro wastewater treatment plant to treat 1,4 dioxane, a chemical found primarily in laundry detergents and used in bulk by upstream industries.

More information on the Haskett Creek Watershed Plan are available on the PTRC website. 

■ Full link: https://www.ptrc.org/services/regional-planning/water-resources/watershed-planning/haskett-creek-watershed-plan.