LOS TU volunteers have assisted in a trail stabilization project in the South Mills watershed. This project was funded by monies from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, as well as the Division of Inland Fisheries, NC Wildlife Resources Commission. It addressed serious erosion and sedimentation problems throughout the South Mills and along several of its tributaries. Over 14 miles of trail were modified and stabilized (in some cases, moved) from the gauging station down to Turkey Pen. Treatment included the construction of stable waterbars intermittently along the trail, designed to move rainwater safely off the trail before it can wash sediment into the creek. Grass seed was then planted where new waterbars were constructed, keeping them stable.

This project was an interesting case study for several reasons: first, it identified the problem as a high level of recreational use of trails located close to the stream. The problem was not related to timbering, mining or development, but rather to trail design and heavy recreational use. Second, the solution was relatively low-tech: create shunts, called waterbars, to safely channel the rainwater away from the trail, and encourage recreational users to monitor and clean the waterbars periodically.

Given that many of our trout streams in the U.S. are in high use areas, this project may prove extremely beneficial in the future as a model of how to protect water quality where recreational use is high.

TU NC applied for and administered the grant that funded this project. Special thanks go to Richard Burns, USFS Hydrologist, for his excellent work and follow-through on this project.