Reedy Creek Coalition offers alternative to City’s Reedy Creek restoration plan

The city will be showing off their plan tonight, Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00 PM at the Old Stone House in Forest Hill Park.

February 23, 2016; 9:57 AM • by Richard Hayes

The full plan and the reasoning behind the plan can be find at the Reedy Creek Coalition website.

Moving Forward: Let’s work together on projects we all agree on

Stream condition assessment (Reedy Creek Coalition has already gathered a lot of relevant data and is in the process of summarizing it.)

Comprehensive watershed plan for Reedy Creek

Green infrastructure projects at schools, Forest Hill Park, and other city properties

Make Reedy Creek a model for watershed restoration (use BMPs for tours and outreach, pilot new programs and approaches for stormwater reduction).

Pilot a cost-share program for residential properties, churches, and perhaps commercial properties.

Investigate the possibility of obtaining Chesapeake Bay TMDL credits for Forest Hill Park Lake and initiate a regular dredging program as originally promised by city staff.

Delay the currently proposed stream restoration project and use the city portion of the money to carry out the green infrastructure projects we agree on during the next 3 years. Perhaps some of the DEQ grant money could be used for green infrastructure projects. If not, the DEQ portion could be matched through grants to non-profit collaborators, volunteer time, cost-share program, and other city departments involved in green infrastructure projects (e.g. Richmond Public Schools, Department of Public Works, Richmond Recreation, Parks, and Community Facilities).

No proposals for stream restoration in Reedy Creek for the next 8 years during which time a stream condition assessment study and comprehensive watershed plan are completed.

Create a “balanced” Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan that focuses on watershed restoration with a focus on reducing storm water run-off.