Piedmont Greenway Master Plan - Town of Kernersville

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INVENTORY OF EXISTING CONDITIONS Summary of Greenway Efforts Planning for greenways and other bicycle and pedestrian facilities is not a new concept in the Piedmont region. Comprehensive plans such as the 1995 Guilford County “Forecast 2015” plan and the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Greenway Plan "Legacy Development Guide", have involved numerous individuals and organizations working on promoting greenways to meet the region’s conservation, recreation and transportation needs. Past planning efforts and others that continue to the present day will be complemented by related recreation, bicycle and pedestrian planning efforts. In the 1995 Forecast 2015 Plan, Guilford County officials from two cities, four towns and county government formed various committees to inform and educate citizens about spatial relationships and physical features of the county which helped identify possible greenways and open space objectives. The Greenway Plan for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County has formulated a greenway master plan that seeks to address missing links in its present system. In addition, parks and recreation departments from the cities of Winston-Salem, Kernersville and Greensboro are in the process of updating their parks and recreation master plans. The plans will address recreation needs and park development to the year 2015. Greenways as linear parks are considered in the findings of the master plans; however, the vision for parks and greenways has yet to be realized. The counties realize that their individual plans do not address the need for a common linked greenway that serves citizens of both Forsyth and Guilford counties. Topography and Drainage The major topographic features of the region encompassed by both counties are the rivers, ridge lines, and valleys. Elevations range from 720 to 1,050 feet above sea level. The region’s topographic character is mainly composed of wide and often abrupt variations in elevation due to ravines created by drainage courses, which lead from the higher elevations to the rivers. Of the major cities and towns in the study area, Kernersville in Forsyth County is the highest point in the study corridor. The study area includes Forsyth and Guilford Counties which cross five watersheds: the Haw River, Upper Yadkin River, Lower Yadkin River, Deep River and Upper Dan River. Reedy Fork Creek is the largest creek in length and volume in the study corridor and is part of the Haw River watershed located in Guilford County. The Haw River watershed spans 638 square miles or 96.9 percent of Guilford County, and 10 square miles or 0.1 percent of Forsyth County. The Haw River basin includes 25 rivers and streams for 2,233 total river miles with 1,680 listed as perennial for the entire watershed. The streams are made up of 75 percent forested riparian habitat and 25 percent agricultural/urban riparian habitat. Reedy Fork creek is a protected water sensitive stream. The north-flowing creek terminates near its confluence with Lake Brandt in Guilford County. Near Lewiston Road in Guilford County, Moore’s Creek joins Reedy Fork Creek. Beaver Creek joins Reedy Fork south of Bunch Road in Guilford County. Guilford County is located on a plateau that ranges in elevation from 600 feet to nearly 1,000 feet within the watershed area. Reedy Fork Creek watershed covers an area of 464 square miles and meanders through low valleys that are separated by broken ridge lines. The Piedmont Greenway will follow the floodplains of Reedy Fork Creek and part of Moore’s Creek while avoiding some of the more sensitive land (wetlands and steep or erodible slopes). This topography could present constraints to trail development due to steep slopes. In some areas, it may be difficult or impossible to develop trails to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards and in other areas, changes in elevation may completely prohibit trail development. In these cases, an unimproved nature trail is recommended similar to the type of trails existing at Lake Higgins in Guilford County. Soils The composition of soil along the creek floodplains found within the greenway corridor directly affects the feasibility of Piedmont Greenway development in certain areas. The land associations found along the corridor is characterized by nearly level, well drained to poorly drained soils that have a sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, and silty clay loam subsoil, found mostly on floodplains. Relief, or topography, affects soil formation by causing differences in free drainage, surface runoff, soil temperature and the extent of geologic erosion. In Guilford County, the relief is largely determined by the kind of bedrock underlying the soils, by the geology of the area and the amount of landscape dissection by streams, and by slope retreat. For soils that have slopes of 15 percent, geologic erosion removes soil material almost as fast as the soil develops. As a result, steep slopes are characterized by thin soils and level slopes are characterized by deeper soils. The majority of the soils found along the Reedy Creek portion located in Guilford County are wetland soils of the Chewacla-Wehadkee-Congaree association. Wehadkee soils found within the Reedy Fork Creek drainage were formed on floodplains, are poorly drained and have similar parent material but different characteristics according to their topographic position and internal drainage. Two broad classes of parent material exist in the makeup of Guilford County soils: bedrock or those formed in place, and weathered material derived from the bedrock. Reedy Fork Creek and its tributaries were formed from alluvium soils that weathered upstream and were deposited along the floodplains. Soil associations along Moore's Creek in Guilford County show a number of areas that are PIEDMONT GREENWAY Final Master Plan Report 10
sensitive to erosion and need to be protected. Moore’s Creek has soils that are derived from the Madison-Cecil association and can be characterized as strongly sloping to steep, well-drained soils that have a sandy clay loam, clay loam and clay subsoil. These soils are formed mainly on uplands of the creek’s watershed. Beaver Creek in Guilford County has soils composed of the Cecil-Madison association, and they differ from Moore’s Creek soils due to the difference in slope and clay content. These soils are gently sloping and sloping, welldrained soils that have a sandy clay loam, clay loam, and clay subsoil. The parent material is derived from igneous and metamorphic rocks, reflected in the low pH of these soils. In Forsyth County, the relief is largely determined by knobs or ridges and valleys. A broad plateau near Kernersville borders this area on the east. The inter streams areas are remnants of an erosional landscape dissection by streams. The average elevation in the county is 870 feet above sea level. Forsyth County lies at the junction of four drainage basins. The Kerners Mill Creek watershed falls within the Deep River drainage basin. Chewacla-Wehadkee-Congaree soils predominate in the creek corridor. These poorly drained areas consist of loamy soils subject to frequent inundation by floodwaters. They are generally very nutrient-rich and can yield botanically interesting habitats. One of these areas exists at the terminus of Kerners Mill Creek at the headwaters of Salem Lake. Significant to the study corridor is an area east of the proposed Piedmont Greenway along Kerners Mill Creek. This area is known as a Piedmont/Mountain Semipermanent Impoundment and is characterized by its location in the low-gradient floodplain of Kerners Mill Creek. The soils within the urban areas of the greenway corridor are well drained for the most part, with loamy subsoils on area ridges and side slopes of mountain areas. Hydric soils (waterlogged soils) can generally be found only in the floodplain areas of rivers and creeks. According to a soil map prepared by the Soil Conservation Service prior to 1985, soils which are the most unfavorable for development purposes are typically those located on the steep slopes of ridges within the city limits. (Source: Soil Survey of Guilford and Forsyth Counties, North Carolina, United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1980., and North Carolina Natural Heritage Inventory of Forsyth County, North Carolina. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. 1998) Water Quality Land use in the study corridor is characterized by continuous urban development on the valley floors. The primary effects on watersheds of the creeks are increased imperviousness, increased frequency of flooding, destabilized stream configurations, disconnection of streams from floodplains and loss of riparian corridors. Pollutants and toxicity are a secondary concern. Improving the streams in the urbanized parts of the watersheds will require reconnecting the streams with their floodplains where feasible, and restoring riparian cover. To do so will require changing land-use patterns in the watersheds. In new and redeveloped areas, low-impact site design, where appropriate, will be most effective when aimed at a specific location within a sub-watershed. Similarly, municipal urban runoff pollution prevention programs will be most effective when they are targeted to subwatershed-scale objectives. Riparian buffers are some of the most effective tools to meet goals of improving and protecting water quality. Stream corridors in Guilford County identified for the greenway trail all flow into the City of Greensboro's drinking water supply lakes, thus making water quality protection an important issue. Reedy Fork Creek water quality issues include pathogens due to point-source pollutants and nutrients from storm water. Agricultural lands adjacent to the creek can be sources of suspended solids and low dissolved oxygen levels due to the lack of buffers and (BMP’s). The ecological condition of the Reedy Fork Creek headwaters and Moore’s Creek and tributaries are rated as WS- III in the watershed. A critical area has been established around Lake Brandt, Lake Higgins and parts of Reedy Fork and the Moore’s Creek drainage area. This area is defined as “land adjacent to a water supply intake where risk associated with pollution is greater than from remaining portions of the watershed. A critical area is land bounded within one-half mile upstream and draining to a river intake or within one-half mile and draining to the normal pool elevation of water supply reservoirs.” The critical area restricts certain uses such as development density and the requirements of agricultural (BMP’s). The rest of the watershed also has restrictions on development (more density than critical areas), and BMP’s are not required for agriculture. However, as you approach the more urban/suburban areas near Kernersville, water quality often degrades as the waters enter these more densely populated areas. The Piedmont Greenway corridor can serve to improve the surface water quality of Reedy Fork Creek, Beaver Creek, Moore’s Creek, Kerners Mill Creek and their tributaries. If left unprotected, some areas in those water bodies can fall below acceptable standards for recreational water contact. Currently, storm water is collected in pipes and is eventually discharged into the watershed of Reedy Fork and Moore’s Creeks. If more storm water were allowed to flow overland through floodplain forests and wetlands (hence the need for establishing buffers) more pollutants would be removed. Cleaner surface water in both creeks would benefit not only local residents, but also the numerous forms of wildlife which depend on streams and creeks for their habitat. Due to increasing land development along the creeks and within the watershed, water quality must be protected and monitored to evaluate and improve/preserve present conditions. Inappropriate agricultural, industrial, residential and commercial development adversely affects water quality and creates stress on aquatic life and the stability of the watersheds. By designating stream buffers through easements within floodplains will allow the development of the Piedmont Greenway. Implementing best-management practices will help maintain the water quality of Reedy Fork and Moore’s creeks. (Source: NCDENR, Dept. of Water Quality (DWQ) and The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Surf your Watershed Program, www.epa.gov). PIEDMONT GREENWAY Final Master Plan Report 11
Page 1 and 2: The Piedmont Greenway Master Plan L
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF MAPS & FIGURES Figure 1: Re
Page 7 and 8: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Piedmont Gree
Page 9 and 10: OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION Since the
Page 11 and 12: VISION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The fo
Page 13 and 14: BENEFITS OF GREENWAYS A multi-objec
Page 15: whether publicly or privately owned
Page 19 and 20: Mixed Hardwood Forest Ecosystem Sev
Page 21 and 22: mercial in some parts and open farm
Page 23 and 24: ounding Triad Park and Kernersville
Page 25 and 26: main Piedmont Greenway trail along
Page 27 and 28: The status of local lines could cha
Page 29 and 30: • As an alternative, the south si
Page 31 and 32: Proposed Piedmont Greenway Alignmen
Page 33 and 34: Primary Piedmont Greenway Segments
Page 35 and 36: 39 Willow Bend Legend Deer Crossing
Page 37 and 38: Croyden Ches Legend Morris Primary
Page 39 and 40: Brittainywood Roberson Farm Valleyd
Page 41 and 42: Legend Roxbury Primary Greenway Tra
Page 43 and 44: Legend Primary Greenway Trail Road
Page 45 and 46: Old Orchard Woodfield Cathi Nickel
Page 47 and 48: Asbury Deere Hitachi Kernersville L
Page 49 and 50: Farmwood Legend Piney Grove Bost Ra
Page 51 and 52: 0 Ira Main Chaucer Manor Clay Flynt
Page 53 and 54: Bunker Hill Saddle Brook Dapple Gre
Page 55 and 56: Morganshire Parcel Data not Availab
Page 57 and 58: Gaylord Morganshire Faye Legend Ree
Page 59 and 60: Windcrest Bronco Wooden Rail Watert
Page 61 and 62: Legend Hepatica Summerfield Summerf
Page 63 and 64: safety railings be installed where
Page 65 and 66: ADA Requirements The Americans with
Page 67 and 68:
COST ESTIMATE FROM SALEM LAKE & LIN
Page 69 and 70:
No. Item Qty. Unit Price Total V. K
Page 71 and 72:
No. Item Qty. Unit Price Total VIII
Page 73 and 74:
No. Item Qty. Unit Price Total XIII
Page 75 and 76:
Estimate of Probable Land Acquisiti
Page 77 and 78:
GREENWAY FUNDING SOURCES The most s
Page 79 and 80:
PL 566-Watershed Protection and Flo
Page 81 and 82:
METHODS OF GAINING PUBLIC ACCESS Ac
Page 83 and 84:
Greenway Facility Safety and Securi
Page 85 and 86:
2) a risk management plan that appr
Page 87 and 88:
landowner may still be sued but the
Page 89 and 90:
NORTH CAROLINA TORT CLAIMS ACTS AND
Page 91 and 92:
Supplemental Information ADDITIONAL
Page 93 and 94:
THE WATERSHEDS OF FORSYTH AND GUILF
Page 95 and 96:
By designating buffers within flood
Page 97 and 98:
Appendix B: Public Meeting & Worksh
Page 99 and 100:
Appendix D: Public Meeting & Worksh
Page 101 and 102:
Appendix E: NC News Piedmont Greenw
Page 103 and 104:
PIEDMONT GREENWAY Final Master Plan
Page 105 and 106:
sources of water supply for drinkin
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Piedmont Greenway Master Plan - Town of Kernersville

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