Local Creek Continues to Collapse as Restoration & Rehabilitation Project Begins

A collapsed tree and soil blocking the West Branch Rocky River stream.

The West Branch of Rocky River continues to actively degrade after nearly every large rainfall. However, Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services, in coordination with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and the Town of Davidson will be restoring it as part of a second phase of a 3-phase project. In the next 12 months, construction activity will be visible along the West Branch in Abersham Park from Grey Road south to the northern tip of Fisher Farm Park. 

The launch of the construction phase of the project follows a 12-month community review process led by Storm Water Services and Davidson Lands Conservancy. The community review, which included concerned citizens and Davidson College professors, reviewed alternative designs and offered suggestions to lessen the short-term impacts and set the stage for researching the extent of the project’s environmental improvements. 

The project is a long-term investment in one of our most valuable natural resources, our creek corridors.  This project will:

  • Improve water quality by repairing erosion that has washed about 100 truckloads of soil into West Branch Rocky River each year;
  • Create aquatic habitat that is part of a thriving ecosystem;
  • Increase quantity of native trees and shrubs along the creekbanks and floodplain;
  • Enhance wildlife habitat areas with new vegetation, grasses and milkweed areas.

Construction began in September 2023 and will extend into the fall of 2024. The greenway will remain open throughout construction. The changes will be dramatic and disruptive at times. So, we ask for your patience and understanding as the project gets underway.