Creek clean-up benefits go beyond lake

BY KATHLEEN SHEA PORTER, '08

These logs caught trash and debris in Little Westham Creek, causing potential problems for Westhampton Lake. A recent clean-up has the water flowing clean and free.

Westhampton Lake may be the centerpiece of the University's picturesque campus, but behind every great lake is a great stream—in this case, Little Westham Creek.

University Facilities recently cleaned and restored the stream as a public service project to benefit the campus, the environment and the surrounding areas.

Little Westham Creek, which feeds into Westhampton Lake, flows through a wooded neighborhood across from the Westhampton gazebo. Today, water flows effortlessly into the lake, but that was not always the case.

Five years ago, Steve Glass, University horticulturist and landscape manager, noticed serious erosion on a stream bank. Due to hurricane and other weather damage, the natural water pattern around a bend in the stream was blocked by a large tree, which was catching trash, sediment and other debris. The land was weakened as a result, and water was coming close to sewer lines and damaging homeowner property.

Glass knew that without proper attention, the integrity of a nearby sewage line would be compromised, negatively impacting the ecosystem and aesthetics of the campus. But he also knew the impact would extend farther than Westhampton Lake.

"The project not only protects UR property immediately threatened by erosion of the stream bank, but reduces sediment eventually reaching the James River and Chesapeake Bay," he said.

With Glass managing the project, the University employed Jennifer Nelson, a stream ecologist from Draper Aden Associates, to design a solution. Nelson developed a plan to repair the damage, clear the area of debris and enact an environmentally friendly path for the stream. After months of preparation, the work began last September.

The team focused on 500 feet of the creek. Both Glass and Nelson took active roles in the project. "I like to be on-site," Nelson said recently in an interview at the stream.

While working, Nelson saw a lot of the wildlife that would benefit from the restoration project, including minnows, frogs, deer and raccoon. But most rewarding for her was seeing a particular group that was able to voice their appreciation. "The neighborhood kids were excited," she said, "and that's a good thing for me to see." The children, she said, often played in the stream after school, so creating a cleaner environment for them was important.

While the project focused on the stream and only indirectly on the lake itself, Glass said the lake gets cleaned every year. Each summer between five and six feet of water is drained from the lake. "While the lake is down, a thorough clean-up is performed around the banks and under Tyler Haynes Commons and the spillway," he said. "Trash is picked up year-round from the banks, and after heavy rains, two staff members take a boat onto the lake to pick up trash."

The project's ultimate goal is for vegetation to take root and provide an all-natural barrier against erosion. Nelson looked at the whole picture while planning the restoration, resulting in trees, shrubs and groundcovers being planted near the stream's banks.

Henrico County approved the project before and after it was finished, but the stream will be evaluated annually to ensure it is functioning as intended. But just months after completion, Glass and Nelson said results can already be seen. "It's still in the period of adjustment," Nelson said, "but after several storms, it is acting like it is supposed to."

Glass is committed to making sure the University maintains an environmentally friendly campus. "The hope is that community-based efforts to improve the water quality of Westham Creek will continue," he said. "Every little bit helps."