A Place for the Water to Go
Natural floodplain restorations improve flood safety
In the blue light before dawn on Sept. 27, Laura Mouser watched the waters of the French Broad River rise higher and higher, toward her home. Trees shook in the wind as the vast brown river poured around them.
Laura and her husband live just across the river from land owned by Conserving Carolina’s in Etowah—the Pleasant Grove natural floodplain restoration. They moved there a few years ago from Florida, seeking a place that would be safe from the hurricanes that constantly batter the Florida coast. They enjoyed the views over the river and the protected open space beyond.
Laura’s neighbor had told her that the river never rises beyond a certain height, but during Helene, Laura watched as it easily surpassed that point. The water swallowed up her husband’s vegetable garden. Then it overtopped the six-foot fence around the garden. At its height, the river had filled the wide-open valley in front of their house and climbed the hill where they live, toward the brown picket fence around their yard.
Afterward, Laura and her neighbor asked themselves, how much higher would it have gone without the natural floodplain restoration at Pleasant Grove?
1.25 Billion Gallons of Floodwater
Last year, Conserving Carolina completed the Pleasant Grove restoration, on the site of an abandoned golf course. We brought back natural features like wetlands and a slough (which is like a pond that connects to the river). We reshaped ditch-like streams, restoring natural, meandering streambeds. We also breached berms along the French Broad, so that in high water the river can spill onto its floodplain instead of carrying all that water downstream in massive floods.
After the storm, engineer Greg Jennings from Jennings Environmental, who designed several Conserving Carolina restoration projects, crunched some numbers. He found that just three restoration projects along the French Broad River—Pleasant Grove, Mouth of Mud Creek, and Kings Bridge—contained at least 3,680 acre-feet of water. To get a sense of that, picture 3,680 acres covered in one foot of water. That’s 1.25 billion gallons of water!
Ultimately, during Helene, that was a drop in the bucket—but the already terrible flooding could have been that much worse. And for some local residents it made a real difference.
Lisa Moffit who lives near the Mouth of Mud Creek restoration in Mills River told Conserving Carolina, “I feel like the hard work y’all did kept our house on Mud Creek Road from flooding worse!”
In Riverstone, the neighborhood that borders that restoration, houses on the lower streets were flooded. So, every inch of water that could spread over the floodplain and soak into wetlands instead of relentlessly rising meant that homeowners on the edge of the flood were spared.
During most flood events, the restored natural floodplains would also reduce downstream flooding—not just local flooding. Because berms are taken out along the river banks, during a flood, the river can overflow and spread out instead of sending so much water pouring downstream. However, during Helene, the river was so high that it overtopped all berms; the water was going to access the floodplain regardless. In less epic conditions, during the moderate to heavy floods that occur regularly in Western North Carolina, natural floodplains can mean significantly less flooding for downstream farms and communities—especially with a growing network of restorations.
In the last five years, Conserving Carolina has completed seven restoration projects and we are currently working on nine more.
David Lee, our Natural Resources Director, says, “As we look ahead, the cumulative effect of more restoration projects like these can make an even greater difference. And we don’t always have to do a full-scale restoration. We improve resilience every time we conserve the farmland and natural areas that already exist in the river corridor. Each conservation and restoration project contributes to a more resilient network of flood control that helps to safeguard both natural ecosystems and human communities.”
The Newest Restoration—Kings Bridge
The newest restoration project is the 87-acre Kings Bridge Wildlife Conservation Area in Mills River. At Kings Bridge, the work of reshaping the land—breaching berms, digging a slough, and forming depressions for wetlands—was completed just one week before Hurricane Helene. As it turned out, that was just in time to alleviate the impacts of the epic flood.
Kings Bridge is public land owned by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, which partnered with Conserving Carolina on the natural floodplain restoration.
Scott Loftis, the Mountain Aquatic Habitat Coordinator with the agency, says, “Reconnecting rivers with their floodplains restores the natural form and function of the land and water interface. The ecosystems services achieved through these restoration projects not only promote resiliency of our natural resources but also increase storage capacity of flood flows during high flow events.”
John Henry Nelson, of Stone and Spade, which has been planting native species at Kings Bridge, says, “Even though the construction just finished, we’re starting to see this site come back to life.”
Kings Bridge is temporarily closed for the restoration work, including time for the newly planted shrubs, trees, and wildflowers to get established. When it reopens, Nelson predicts that it will be popular with birders, since there’s already an abundance of waterfowl, bald eagles, hawks, ospreys, herons, kingfishers, and songbirds. He says, “Every day we’re seeing rare birds out here.”
Safer in the Face of Extreme Weather
Lee says that restorations reduce the risk from extreme weather on several fronts.
- Floods: During high water, a natural floodplain absorbs and holds water, reducing risk to homes, farms, and businesses.
- Water Quality: Natural floodplains allow floodwater to spread out and slow down, allowing sediment to settle on the ground, instead of carrying it downstream as water pollution.
- Droughts: By soaking up and holding water, floodplains, wetlands, and sloughs keep water in the local landscape. They slowly release it to recharge aquifers, sustain rivers, and support plants and animals through dry periods.
- Biodiversity and Wildlife: In floods, natural floodplains provide calm backwaters where fish and wildlife can take refuge from strong currents, where they could not survive. During droughts, floodplains offer critical water and shelter for wildlife when nearby areas dry out.
A natural floodplain provides multiple benefits, even when there’s not extreme weather. Features like sloughs and wetlands were once common along the French Broad River, but today they are rare. Bringing back these natural features restores vital wildlife habitat and, almost immediately, conservationists start to see more birds, amphibians, fish, and other wildlife.
Natural floodplains also improve water quality by filtering out sediment, nutrients, and pollutants before they can enter rivers and streams.
In addition, restoration projects enhance outdoor recreation. Kings Bridge will reopen to the public in 2025 for fishing, birding, and wildlife observation. At the Mouth of Mud Creek, Conserving Carolina is working toward greenway connections that will provide public access. And a system of walking trails is planned for Pleasant Grove. Natural areas that are full of life also provide a richer experience for the many people who float or paddle on the French Broad River.
Lee says, “Natural floodplains offer so many benefits in terms of wildlife habitat, cleaner water, and outdoor recreation. And when we go through extreme weather events, a network of conserved farmland and restored natural floodplains can make our communities safer and more resilient.”
