In 2003, the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments received a 319 grant to construct a stormwater BMP in the Town Branch watershed. Town Branch is impaired for fecal coliform bacteria on North Carolina’s 2000 303(d) list.

Town Branch is located in the upper Cape Fear River basin and drains into the Haw River. The creek’s watershed lies entirely within Alamance County and is slightly less than 4 square miles in area. The City of Graham covers more than three-quarters of the watershed.

According to the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ), the non-point sources of fecal coliform bacteria in Town Branch include runoff from urban development (stormwater), sewer line systems (leaky sewer lines and sewer system overflows), wildlife, failing septic systems, and probably illicit connections in unknown locations.

The 319 grant called for installation/implementation of both structural and non-structural BMPs. This bioretention area is a structural BMP and will be monitored after installation to determine effectiveness. PTCOG has contracted with North Carolina State University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, a recognized leader in the area of stormwater management design and research, to provide design and monitoring services for this project.

Slideshow: Below is a pictorial description of the construction of a bioretention area. This bioretention area receives stormwater runoff water from the school parking lot and surrounding hard surfaces. It is designed to hold the water on the landscape so that it can soak into ground and flow through filtration materials before flowing down the storm drain. The plants, mulch and soil in a rain garden combine natural physical, biological and chemical processes to remove pollutants from runoff. The site design was created by Ryan Smith, EI, Extension Associate, NC State University.

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