City of Franklin Stream Restoration Project Receives State Award
The Engineering firm that designed and completed the work on Ralston Creek Stream Restoration received an Honor Award from the Tennessee American Society of Landscape Architects.
Civil and Environmental Consultants accepted the award at a ceremony last month in Nashville. The project was launched after the area was directly affected in the May 2010 floods. Swift flood waters caused substantial erosion resulting in the loss of stream bank, damage to wood tie retaining walls, and there was a loss of vegetation and habitat in this part of Ralston Creek. The Ralston Creek Restoration Project directly affected eight individual property owners and the overall character of the subdivisions open space/ recreation area.
The project team consisted of landscape architects, civil engineers, biologists and ecologists. The end result was a new meandering stream section allowing aquatic life to thrive in the stream as well as on the banks. The team was charged with restoration and enhancement of this section of the creek. Due to the severity of the flood the creek lost much of its meandering characteristics, being straightened and actually splitting into two sections. Much of the established vegetation was swept away leaving little left behind to stabilize the banks.
The final design created a single channel with a natural meandering stream section within the existing drainage easement on site. Single and double rock toe protection construction where used to stabilize the stream banks.
