Brownfield Grant Writing Tip #32 - Green Corridors

Consider both (1) tying in work that has been done in the private sector along the lines of "greening" the community and (2) linking environmental protection to habitat restoration, watershed protection, and developing "green corridors."  For instance, stream design, habitat planning, and monitoring services for relocation of more than 12,000 feet of highly impaired stream at the new Volkswagen Automobile Plant at the Enterprise South Industrial Park was conducted in Chattanooga/Hamilton County, Tennessee. The project creates a "green corridor" that surrounds the 1,200-acre brownfield site that once was a U. S. Army Ammunition Plant. The corridor connects a 40-acre, high quality wetland, a 2,800-acre hardwood forest nature preserve, and several other wetlands via 18,000 feet of stream corridors that are 100-feet wide and planted with only natural vegetation.

A number of years ago the U.S. Government transferred the nearly 1,000-acre property to Hamilton County and the City of Chattanooga. Prior to that, it had been a U.S. Army gunpowder production and storage plant. Converting the site for use as an industrial facility took years of soil and ground water remediation.

In 2002, work began by performing a complete surface waters inventory and threatened & endangered species survey. Streams and wetlands were carefully assessed and characterized so that filling and rerouting that would be necessary for site preparation for a major plant could be performed with the least possible impact to resources.

Resources had been severely impacted by Army activities that dated back to the 1940's, long before the Clean Water Act. The streams were channelized, had large culverts installed, and were generally a mess. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine better water quality. Also, the streams only flowed immediately after rainfall; they were characterized as intermittent streams exhibiting "flash" hydrology in the initial reports.

In the following years, efforts were coordinated to develop mitigation plans for streams and wetlands, as well as to design and engineer the rerouting of more than 15,000 feet of stream.  Collaboration between public and private partners was necessary to acquire the necessary 404 and 401 permits so that the aquatic resources could be altered. The alteration comprises one of the largest restoration projects in the history of Hamilton County.

In designing the stream channels, which are forks of Poe Branch in the Fryar Branch-South Chickamauga Creek-Tennessee River watershed, sound Rosgen principles were used, which incorporate sinuosity, bank widths, and riffle-pool-run sequences to maintain a stable channel with minimal erosion. Site work had begun and the stream channels are being relocated and stabilized before the heavy winter rains.

The project will feature a 2,800-acre passive wildlife preserve, 40+ acres of prime wetlands that have been preserved, and wide stream corridors that will virtually result in a ring around the Volkswagen plant through which the abudant dear and other wildlife will roam. For more information, go to http://www.envisionecology.com/about.html.

Good Luck!