ESM 2009: Blackwater Creek

What is Extreme Stream Makeover?

Goals

Extreme Stream Makeover is a watershed restoration initiative developed by the James River Association with three goals in mind:

1. To improve the health of a local degraded watershed.
2. To increase public awareness of upstream, local & downstream water quality issues.
3. To improve knowledge and know-how regarding solutions to local water quality and quantity issues on an individual or household level.

The visible goal is the restoration of a neglected tributary of the James River.  This goal is accomplished through the management of rain water runoff through localized projects such as the construction of rain gardens and BayScapes, the installation of rain barrels, streamside buffer planting and trash clean-up. 

What is a watershed?

A watershed is a region draining into a river, river system, or any other body of water. All of the water that falls as precipitation or flows over the land as runoff in a watershed ends up in the same body of water. In other words, a watershed is a drainage area.

Process

The Extreme Stream Makeover (ESM) is a weeklong restoration project designed to improve the health, sustainability and aesthetic appeal of a selected stream within the James River watershed. 

During the planning process, involved parties work together to promote watershed awareness and pollution control throughout the community.  Partners assess the creek and surrounding watershed to identify and document existing and potential pollution problems.  This assessment helps to identify and prioritize projects.  ESM project locations are selected based on the site assessment, feasibility, landowner permission and opportunity for water quality improvement.

Implementation is a week-long process that puts in place a series of rainwater runoff and pollution reduction measures as well as habitat restoration projects.  Each day, approximately 100 volunteers from the community will participate in the restoration activities.  Depending on the project selection, participants will remove trash, learn how to construct and install rain barrels, plant steamside buffers and build rain gardens.  Every facet of the restoration project is accompanied by an education component – it is important that people not only learn how to do these projects, but that they also understand why they are doing them.

The ESM also incorporates a series of lessons, designed to correlate with Virginia SOLs, for local students.  In the past, the James River Association (JRA) has gone into local schools to teach about the James River watershed, emphasizing watershed health, management and conservation.  Students will learn how and why selected projects can improve local creeks, the James River and beyond.