Client Type: Private
Description: Stream and wetland restoration in Cayce, South Carolina. Approximately 1230 feet of sandbed stream and 8.3 acres of riparian wetlands will be restored for the project. The site will be an addition to the larger Taylor Mitigation Bank, which is comprised of many acres of preserved and protected wetlands in the Six Mile Creek area.
Services: Stream and wetland restoration planning and design; reference stream and wetland investigation; monitoring; watershed analysis; hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and analysis; landscape vegetation planning and design; erosion control planning and design; earthwork / grading design; environmental permitting and regulatory coordination; construction surveying; project construction and bid coordination and management.
Overview
Historically, the importance of wetlands has not been fully understood. Wetlands have been cleared, drained, filled or altered for urban development, agriculture, highway construction and a variety of other land uses. Fortunately, these systems are now being recognized for the numerous ecological functions they perform and their tremendous value to society. The Taylor project is a private mitigation bank designed to restore a wetland community and to be a part of a larger private/public preserve to protect the entirety of Six Mile Creek to its confluence with the Congaree River in the Sandhills near Columbia, South Carolina.
Background and Details
The project site has been significantly altered such that all stream functions and the majority of wetland functions are currently removed. These functional losses are primarily due to removal of the onsite stream by way of realignment through high ground. The historical onsite wetlands have also been impacted from filling activities, heavy utility work and from the invasion of nuisance vegetation.
BLWI has developed a stream and wetland restoration plan to restore stream and wetland function to the site. This plan will restore stream functions by rerouting the stream back through the site using natural channel design techniques. A full watershed hydrologic and design reach hydraulic analysis was also performed to ensure the stability of the restored channel. The channel will be restored to an E5 sandbed stream type. The replacement of the stream will also provide the water necessary to restore wetland hydrology to the site. The wetland will be further improved by the removal of fill placed on portions of the historical wetland. In addition, invasive, nuisance vegetation will be removed and replaced with plant species documented during the reference wetland investigation. The restoration plan calls for the restoration of 1230 linear feet of perennial stream and 8.3 acres of riparian wetland. The wetland restoration will consist of approximately 7 acres of streamhead pocosin and 1.3 acres of small stream swamp.
While one of the goals of the project is to restore a self-maintaining wetland system, physical actions may be required, especially during early site establishment, to keep restoration development on course toward the project goals. BLUE: Land, Water, Infrastructure, PA (BLWI) staff will maintain oversight of construction activities. Regular monitoring and management field visits will be conducted during the first 5 years after construction has been completed to track site development, including the physical conditions of the site and vegetation establishment.
Last updated: 10/22/02 (BLUE: Land, Water, Infrastructure)
Realigned Ditch Diverting Flows Away From Site
Reference Stream Investigation
Flow Monitoring for hydrologic modeling calibration
3D Computer Model of the Site Restoration Plan