The Stormwater Management Division of the NC Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) recently awarded the Town of Wake Forest’s Ailey Young Dam & Stream Restoration Project as the Stormwater Project of the Year in the natural systems category.
In 2014, a structural inventory of bridges and dams within Town-owned parks identified the need for the Ailey Young Dam Removal and Stream Restoration Project. The effort centered on “Peggy’s Pond,” which is situated in the rear of Ailey Young Park, 800 E. Juniper Ave., adjacent to the existing basketball courts.
The Town purchased the property that would become Ailey Young Park in 1981. In the early 2000s, the pond dam outlet experienced a significant failure resulting in major erosion, a drop in water levels and an adverse effect on aquatic life.
Coordinated by the Engineering Division of the Town’s Public Works Department, the award-winning project involved removing the dam and pond and replacing them with a stream restoration and two small wetlands for continued habitat. The project also reverted an “Unnamed Tributary to Dunn Creek” back to its original pre-1953 condition prior to its use as a farm pond. The effort also included the construction of an observation deck for wildlife viewing, native-non-invasive plantings and environmental education.
The Town completed the project in 2019. Wake Forest obtained 100 percent funding in the amount of $693,105 from the NC Department of Justice Environmental Enhancement Grant, NC Department of Environmental Quality’s EPA 319(h) Grant, and the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Resources Development Grant.
The APWA-NC Stormwater Project of the Year aims to promote excellence in the implementation of stormwater projects in North Carolina by recognizing the alliances between project owners, consultants, suppliers, and contractors that result in successful stormwater management improvement projects. For more information, contact Environmental Engineer Carrie Mitchell at 919-435-9443 or cmitchell@wakeforestnc.gov.
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