atlanta's upper proctor creek watershed action plan

Jo Ann J. Macrina, P.E. Commissioner, DWM

A Waterway on the Rebound

Action Plan

2015–2017

Upper Proctor Creek Watershed

ii Upper Proctor Creek Watershed Action Plan - DRAFT

watershed [n. waw-ter-shed]

the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area

[ about this publication ]The Department of Watershed Management’s (DWM) investments in the Upper Proctor Creek Watershed are improving water quality, leveraging opportunities for future projects, and aiming to improve the overall quality of life for the Proctor Creek community. For more information, please contact Todd Hill at [email protected].

$50minvestment

18 squaremiles

50,000residents

35 neighborhoods

Honorable Kasim Reed, Mayor, City of AtlantaJo Ann J. Macrina, P.E., Commissioner, DWM

February 2016 | Upper Proctor Creek Watershed Action Plan 3

Mayor Kasim Reed and the Department of Watershed Management (DWM) are committed to improving and protecting the health of one of our community’s most vital assets—the Upper Proctor Creek Watershed—and believe that efforts to improve this watershed are an opportunity to enhance the quality of life for those who live and work here.

The Upper Proctor Creek Watershed lies in the very heart of Atlanta, home today to more than 50,000 residents across 35 neighborhoods. These 18 square miles play an important role in protecting the water bodies that supply our drinking water, provide habitat for wildlife, and offer opportunities for recreation. Addressing the amount and quality of stormwater in the watershed is critical to reducing sewer overflows and stream bank erosion, and preventing pollutants from washing into the creek. Even more, Proctor Creek’s ecological health directly impacts areas downstream—from fewer trees falling into the creek, to less trash, to healthier aquatic habitat.

The watershed is a focus area of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, and its revitalization is a priority for federal agencies as well as local stakeholders. Over the next several years, DWM is planning to leverage this support and invest $50 million in the watershed with projects that improve water and wastewater infrastructure, provide combined sewer capacity relief, deliver water quality improvements, and enhance our community’s public spaces for years to come.

Read on to learn about DWM’s plan to implement the right mix of projects to deliver lasting social, economic, and environmental benefits to the Upper Proctor Creek Watershed and surrounding neighborhoods.

Upper Proctor Creek Watershed ACTION PLAN

social

New ways to enjoy and access community areas and neighborhoods via trails, parks, recreation areas, and greenspace

environmental Combined sewer capacity relief, flood protection, and water quality improvements to protect human and wildlife health

economic Partnerships with planned parks and greenways to improve property values and promote development and redevelopment

The cleanup of Proctor Creek will be yet another step that the City of Atlanta is taking toward being a world-class, sustainable city. It follows our efforts to clean up the Chattahoochee River and create a clean and enjoyable waterway for future generations.

—Mayor Kasim Reed

4 February 2016 | Upper Proctor Creek Watershed Action Plan

Water Quality Enhancement Project Concept

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U P P E R P R O C T O R C R E E K | A T L A N T A , G E O R G I A | O C T O B E R 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 1 9draftR O C T O R C R E E K | A T L A N T A , GR O C T O R C R E E K | A T L A N T A , G

C O N C E P T M A S T E R P L A N - B E R M O P T I O N

a e r i a l v i e w l o o k i n g s o u t h - e a s t r e n d e r i n g i s c o n c e p t u a l & f o r d e s i g n i n t e n t o n l y

Westside Park Pond Proctor Park

Boone Boulevard Mims Park Pond


Projects with a PURPOSE

Westside Park PondCompletion | end of 2017The pond will divert polluted stormwater conveyed to the creek from one of the city’s most dense

urban areas as redevelopment continues along the BeltLine corridor. A large pond located on the former Bellwood quarry property and integrated into Westside Park will collect and treat stormwater runoff from 8.3 square miles of drainage area and return clean, treated water to Proctor Creek, using a proven methodology that will be the first of its kind in Georgia.

Boone Boulevard Completion | mid 2017Green infrastructure along Boone Boulevard from Northside Drive to Mayson Turner Road and the future

westside BeltLine will improve street drainage and water quality. Bike lanes will be constructed with pervious pavement to infiltrate stormwater runoff while increasing accessibility to surrounding neighborhoods. Large planters will also collect stormwater runoff from the street.

Proctor ParkCompletion | end of 2017In partnership with the Emerald Corridor and the Trust for Public Land, 4 acres of neglected

wetlands will be transformed into a vibrant and safe destination as part of the new 9.2-acre Proctor Park. The created wetlands will absorb excess pollutants from stormwater flows by natural wetland processes, removing pollutants before flowing into Proctor Creek. Trails flanked with play spaces and a pedestrian bridge will connect residents to public transit stations, nearby neighborhoods, and adjacent Maddox Park.

Mims Park PondCompletion | mid 2017Vacant, neglected land impacted by flooding in 2002 will soon be the location of a new pond—an

integral element of the new 16-acre Mims Park. The pond will store and treat stormwater flowing from surrounding areas to reduce localized flooding, increase the capacity of the combined sewer system, and eliminate sewer spills.

Water Quality Enhancement Project Concept

draft

U P P E R P R O C T O R C R E E K | A T L A N T A , G E O R G I A | O C T O B E R 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 1 9draftR O C T O R C R E E K | A T L A N T A , GR O C T O R C R E E K | A T L A N T A , G

C O N C E P T M A S T E R P L A N - B E R M O P T I O N

a e r i a l v i e w l o o k i n g s o u t h - e a s t r e n d e r i n g i s c o n c e p t u a l & f o r d e s i g n i n t e n t o n l y

Four projects planned through 2017 are helping to revitalize the waters and land of the Upper Proctor Creek Watershed and areas downstream, allowing safe public access for the first time in decades. DWM’s balanced approach to project planning focuses on delivering benefits to our community in three key areas—social, economic, and environmental—to deliver lasting benefits to the Proctor Creek community.

Steps have already been taken to understand how these projects will improve water quality in the watershed, and input from our community will be critical to determining how these projects ultimately fit into the neighborhood. As project design continues, DWM will be working with the City Council, Neighborhood Planning Unit system, and citizen groups to ensure that these projects fit into the fabric of our community and deliver not only environmental benefits, but social and economic benefits as well.

Much progress has been made to restore Proctor Creek, and DWM is taking important steps to build on efforts to date and continue to help revitalize our community. Over the next few years, DWM is focusing on efforts in the upper headwaters of the creek—the west side of downtown Atlanta and neighborhoods immediately to the west.


The Department of Watershed Management is committing significant resources toward water quality improvements in the Upper Proctor Creek Watershed.

The goal of this plan is to ensure that these

investments, when taken together, will improve the

environment and provide economic and community

benefits as well.”

—Jo Ann J. Macrina, P.E., Commissioner

Investing in our COMMUNITY

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is a proud partner with DWM

to promote green infrastructure, especially in the Proctor Creek

watershed. These projects demonstrate a significant departure from

traditional, single-purpose underground infrastructure. DWM is making

a sustainable investment in this community that will have multiple

benefits—social, economic, and environmental.”

—Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, Director, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability


DWM’s $50 million investment over the next several years will deliver cleaner streams throughout the Proctor Creek Watershed.

In our dense, urban landscape of buildings and paved (impervious) surfaces, less and less stormwater is absorbed and filtered by natural surfaces, causing large volumes of stormwater runoff to overwhelm drainage systems. This water carries pollutants such as sediments, bacteria, and harmful amounts of naturally occurring substances such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

DWM’s four projects work together to restore and support the Proctor Creek Watershed’s natural drainage systems, significantly reducing the amount of pollutants entering Atlanta’s drains, streams, and creeks by storing and treating stormwater volumes. These projects address impacts of past urban development and, coupled with the City’s Post-Development Stormwater Ordinance (described on page 10), protect water quality as the area continues to grow. Design is under way for each project, with construction scheduled to begin as early as 2016 and completed by the end of 2017. Input from the community will be gathered as project design continues and before construction begins.

Cleaner streams for PROCTOR CREEK

34%Sediment Removed

28%Bacteria Removed

14%Total

Nitrogen

29%Total

Phosphorus

Four Projects for a Cleaner Watershed

Desi

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Desi

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Desi

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Cons

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Desi

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Jan. 2015

Jan. 2016

Jan. 2017

Mims Park Pond Boone Boulevard Proctor Park Westside Park Pond

Drainage area320 acres

% Impervious82%

Volume10 million gallons

Drainage area6 acres

% Impervious99%

Volume200,000 gallons

Drainage area3,100 acres

% Impervious49%


Drainage area5,300 acres

% Impervious43%


Jan. 2018

Cons

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Cons

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Cons

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Estim

ated

Sch

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Northside Dr.

North Ave.Northside Dr.

W. Marrieta St.

Marietta Blvd.

James Jackson Pkw

y.

D.L. Hollowell Pkwy.

Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.

Boone Blvd.

Westside Park Pond

Proctor Park

Mims Park Pond

Boone Boulevard

Mozley Park

New Stadium

Lindsay Street Park

Atlanta University Center

Georgia World Congress Center

Maddox Park

BeltLine

Westside Reservoir

English Park

Spink-Collins Park

Proctor Creek

LEGEND Projects Streams, lakes, ponds Parks BeltLine corridor

285

Chattahoochee River

N

Proctor Creek

WATERSHED


Programs geared toward regulatory compliance, policy development, redevelopment

guidance, sewer overflow reductions, and watershed improvement planning are paying

off. These efforts have improved the quality of the water we enjoy today, and are laying the

foundation for continued water quality improvements in Proctor Creek and across Atlanta.

Building on MOMENTUM

Sanitary Sewer Overflow ProgramIn 2002, the City launched a preventive maintenance program to clean 25%, inspect 15%, and rehabilitate

2% of aging sewer system infrastructure every year to achieve a “Best in Class” category. The City also

implemented its Grease Management Program in 2003, resulting in fewer sanitary sewer spills each year, less

pollutants in the watershed, and improved water quality in our local creeks and streams.

Combined Sewer Overflow ProgramIn 2007, the City completed separation of the formerly combined Greensferry Combined Sewer Sub-basin within the Proctor Creek Sewer Basin. New storm sewers now carry stormwater runoff to receiving waters, and new sanitary sewers convey wastewater for treatment. As a result, sewer overflows in the basin have been reduced, the need for two overflow facilities has been eliminated, and 90% of the City’s sewer system is now separated.

Post Development Stormwater OrdinanceAtlanta is among the first cities in the United States to require green infrastructure on construction projects.

Green infrastructure uses soils, plants, and common-sense conservation practices to manage the “first

flush” of stormwater runoff, thus reducing the amount of polluted runoff from entering our streams. As a result,

nearly 2,000 projects have been constructed using green infrastructure, removing approximately 350 million gallons

of polluted runoff from our streams annually.

Watershed Improvement PlanningStudying impacts to streams and rivers is helping to improve watershed conditions throughout the city by identifying improvement projects with environmental,

social, and economic benefits. Study of the Proctor Creek Watershed will be completed in early 2016 and

in all city watersheds by 2020.

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems Compliance ProgramA new management plan developed in 2015 is helping the City reduce pollution in water bodies throughout Atlanta, and consistently maintain compliance with its stormwater permit. Dedicated staff continually sample and monitor the water quality of city streams and rivers, and inspect and eliminate sources of pollution.

Green Infrastructure Strategic Action PlanA task force of City staff and nonprofit partners developed a comprehensive plan to more cost-effectively incorporate green infrastructure into public improvement projects, and eliminate the barriers that can keep green infrastructure from being implemented with funding strategies and technical assistance.

DWM has been focused on improving water quality in Atlanta’s watersheds for years.

We’re seeing that the river and the

tributaries flowing into it are much cleaner

than they’ve been in a very long time.

There’s still a lot of work remaining.”

—Jason Ulseth, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

City of Atlanta Kasim Reed, MayorCity Council Ceasar C. Mitchell, President

February 2016

@ATLWatershedor visit www.atlantawatershed.org

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atlanta's upper proctor creek watershed action plan

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