The city of Brookhaven was recently awarded a $150,000 grant for stream bank restoration along the north fork of Nancy Creek, south of the Murphey Candler dam.
The city plans to restore the stream and buffer from the dam to the confluence of the North Fork and Nancy Creek, adjacent to the baseball fields.
“I want to thank Sen. Johnny Isakson for his guidance in securing this grant that will have a regional benefit – the health of the Nancy Creek Watershed impacts the entire basin,” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst in a statement. “While this project will restore the natural beauty of the waterway, its true intent is to significantly decrease the amount of silt flowing downstream that negatively impacts water quality, vegetation and native wildlife,”
The project is the first of several initiatives outlined in the Nancy Creek Watershed Improvement Plan, adopted by the Brookhaven City Council in 2016. The city plans to complete design and engineering this year, with construction in early 2018 to minimize disruption of the ball fields during peak season. The total cost of restoration is expected to be approximately $300,000.
Last year, the council learned the Nancy Creek Watershed is unsafe according to state standards and has been contaminated with fecal matter, likely from county sewer overflows. Last month, nearly 4 million gallons of sewage spilled into a tributary that feeds into Nancy Creek near Mill Creek Road, according to DeKalb County.
The stream bank restoration project is being financed in part by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Nancy Creek Watershed Improvement Plan evaluates watershed conditions in Nancy Creek on a regional scale with a special focus on evaluating the health of Murphey Candler Lake. To view the plan, visit http://www.brookhavenga.gov/home/showdocument?id=5994.
The price tag to repair the damaged watershed and address other concerns, including trash in Murphey Candler Lake, is $19.4 million.