Auburn University
IN-3: Innovation 3

Parkerson Mill Creek Restoration Project: Enhancing Streams and Green Spaces Parkerson Mill Creek is located on the Auburn University campus. It is typical of urban streams throughout the southeast: urban stormwater runoff pulses have eroded stream banks, degraded water quality, and seriously diminished stream habitat. The long-neglected stream has become an eyesore more than an amenity to the campus community and is listed on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list of impaired waters. An interdisciplinary and multi-agency committee is working to restore Parkerson Mill Creek and use the restoration effort as a case study of stream restoration and greenway enhancement for education, extension and research purposes. Stream restoration initiatives include invasive species removal, low impact development approaches to stormwater management, stream bank stabilization, feasibility studies for stream channel relocation and restoration, habitat enhancement, and making the creek a campus amenity and gathering place by creating streamside paths, gathering areas, and improving accessibility to the stream. Awareness, education, and engagement campaigns are used to involve campus and broader community audiences in restoration and enlightened watershed management projects, and create appreciation and ownership for Parkerson Mill Creek as a campus and community asset. The Parkerson Mill Creek watershed restoration project has become a focal point for the development of a new Campus Landscape Master Plan.