City of Fultondale Black Creek Park Stream Restoration

Project description
The Five Mile Creek Greenway Partnership began in 2002 to promote and facilitate coordinated and cohesive planning, development, and maintenance of a network of greenways, parks, trails and points of interest along Five Mile Creek.  Black Creek is a significant tributary to Five Mile Creek.  The City of Fultondale is a member of the greenway partnership.  The greenway is being developed along Black Creek in Fultondale as a connector to the proposed 17-mile rails-to-trails path across the northern side of the Five Mile Creek watershed. 

Black Creek is located in the shale hills eco-region, sometimes referred to as the Warrior Coal Field.  Black Creek watershed drains from the edge of the shale hills west towards the Black Warrior River.  The streams the shale hills do not have the base flow found in the headwaters of Five Mile Creek.  Coal mining is the major industry and extensive open pit mines have altered the landscape, soils and streams. 

In 1998 the Alabama Department of Environmental Management produced a Watershed Assessment report of streams within Jefferson County.  Five Mile Creek was listed as the fourth top priority out of the 16 watersheds that were evaluated.  Top environmental threats in the watershed were reported as non-point source pollution runoff and sediment loads associated with urban development, urban and suburban pollutants entering both the surface and ground water, bacteria from domestic waste disposal, acid mine drainage and solid waste/litter.

The watershed has a history of industrial pollution.  As industries work to clean up and remediate outfalls to the creek, urban stormwater runoff is increasing in the watershed from increased impervious surfaces.  The communities along Five Mile Creek have been plagued with flooding for many years.  Recent floods have been devastating to several communities.  Much of the greenway paths are expected to be built on Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) buy-out land including the path in the western reaches of Black Creek Park, downstream of the proposed project.    

Increased urban runoff has eroded banks of Black Creek, a tributary to Five Mile Creek through Black Creek Park.  Stream banks be will stabilized and the growth of native plant vegetation will be promoted using techniques from USDA-NRCS Stream Restoration Standards and Specifications.  Restoration will follow the NRCS protocol including analysis of corridor condition, restoration design and monitoring of restoration.

The stream channel will be restored to a natural meandering channel including restoration of riffles, falls, and shallow areas to increase dissolved oxygen and niche habitat.  Erosion of adjacent stream access points will be stabilized with installation of porous concrete, porous asphalt, or other geo-grid infiltration zones.  Invasive exotic plants such as Chinese privet and kudzu will be removed.  Appropriate plants native to the southeastern United States will be installed along the banks of the creek to increase shade and food for aquatic species including macroinvertebrates.

Black Creek Park is owned by the City of Fultondale.  Within the time frame of the SEP, the City of Fultondale has the equipment and man power to perform the stream enhancement activities described above.  Cawaco RC&D Council will provide expertise and guidance for environmentally safe methods of invasive plant removal and re-establishment of the native plant community and coordinate community and civic involvement in the implementation of the project.

read the report

download Educational Posters:

Fish and Macroinvertebrates in the Black Warrior Basin

Black Creek Stream Restoration Project