Mud Creek Watershed Restoration Plan - Henderson County Center

ECO has coordinated the VWIN program in Henderson County in conjunction with EQI formore than a decade, providing trained volunteers to sample 33 sites on 28 streams each month(see paragraph 2.6.5). Monthly sample data and the VWIN annual report are distributedby ECO to elected officials in Henderson County and the public. Where significant problems arenoted, ECO makes every effort to follow up with landowners or proper authorities to rectify andimprove sample results.A biological monitoring program in Henderson County streams, begun by ECO in 2001, isconducted semi-annually on seven sites in the Mud Creek watershed. The data gathered by thetrained volunteers on these and other sites will be included in annual VWIN reports beginningwith the 2001 report.An annual community-wide stream cleaning project -- NC Big Sweep – is also coordinated inHenderson County by ECO. On the third Saturday in September each year, many volunteerspitch in to clean debris and trash from local waterways as part of the statewide litter removalprogram. For several years, the project in Henderson County has focused oncleaning Mud Creek and its major tributaries.In addition, ECO presents regular public programs on water quality issues, especially focusingon ways to reduce sedimentation and ways for homeowners to have wildlife-friendly yards andgardens without using fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. ECO sponsors forums andworkshops on a number of water quality topics throughout the year.2.6.5 Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN)VWIN is a water quality monitoring program run by citizens and the Environmental QualityInstitute (EQI) at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Volunteers collect samples atnine locations in the Mud Creek watershed monthly. Samples are sent to EQI for analysis oftwelve parameters, including nutrients, metals, and turbidity. VWIN monitors over 200 streamand lake sites monthly throughout Western North Carolina. Local volunteers collect samples atspecified sites on a given day each month, and samples are delivered to EQI for analysis. VWINprepares an annual report for each area at the end of the monitoring year. The annual reportincludes comparisons of each site and each area with all sites analyzed in the mountain region.Local governments and organizations can use this information to compare similar situations andbetter recognize regional issues and develop regional solutions. Trend analysis is also carriedout on sites that have been monitored over a period of years. This provides information onchanging water quality over time and season.2.6.6 Southside Development InitiativeIn the summer of 2002 the City of Hendersonville engaged The Lawrence Group, town plannersand architects, to prepare a master plan for the City’s Southside, a 195-acre area centered on theintersection of U.S. Highways 25 and 176. Most of the area lies within the 100-year flood plainof Mud Creek; however, it was heavily developed prior to the City’s participation in the FederalEmergency Management Agency (FEMA) program. Mud Creek itself bisects the Southside,crossing under U.S. 25 just north of its intersection with U.S. 176.Section 2: Watershed Characterization Page 22