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Many people don't know Caldwell Creek. It flows through Cornelius, south of Oakhurst and Poole Place, across the street from Home Depot, under I-77 to link with McDowell Creek. It contributes to water quality in our County and has become severely silted over the years. There is an exciting eco-friendly project that will restore this creek and afford opportunities for wildlife observation.
The Caldwell Station Creek and Associated Floodplain Wetlands Restoration Project is a joint undertaking by the Town of Cornelius PARC and the N.C. Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) to restore and protect approximately 4,000 linear feet of degraded stream and approximately seven acres of wetlands on Town and State property. The goal of the project is to reconstruct the stream channel so the banks are stable, well vegetated, no longer subject to erosion and more capable of handling floodwater flows, as well as providing healthy habitat for aquatic species and other wildlife. Existing wetlands on the site will be protected, and new wetlands will be created alongside the existing wetlands. There will also be an observation point at the end of Poole Place Drive for visitors interested in seeing the improvements and viewing wildlife. The project to begin construction in the next three to six months, with completion in early 2010.
EEP, an initiative under the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, seeks out degraded stream and wetlands systems and restores them to stable, more ecologically functional systems. For more information, contact Watson Ross with EEP at watson.ross@ncmail.net or 919-715-7573. Town of Cornelius PARC contact is Troy Fitzsimmons, Park Superintendent. You can reach him at tfitzsimmons@cornelius.org or by calling 704-892-6031, Ext 163.
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