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Heavily industrialized
Paradise Creek becomes the model for restoring the Elizabeth
River and the Chesapeake Bay beyond.
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| Paradise Creek is a
1.9-square mile tributary of the Southern Branch of the
Elizabeth River in southeastern Virginia. A nature park, to be
created on 40 acres adjacent to the creek, is the cornerstone
project in the five-year watershed action plan (WAP) to restore
Paradise Creek. |
The ironically-named
Paradise Creek's biggest environmental claim to fame may have been as a
superfund site. That was before Paradise Found, the Paradise Creek
Restoration Plan made its big debut in August of 2003. Now, Paradise
Creek is becoming a model for urban river restoration. (See links at
right.)
Team Paradise
Outstanding partnerships are the secret of
The Elizabeth River Project's success and Paradise Found is a good case study. Throughout 2002 and 2003, a
diverse group of stakeholders and technical advisors formed a base for
the plan. From that group, 50 key volunteers came forward to represent
major creek-side industrial interests: the US Navy, the City of
Portsmouth, concerned citizens, technical and scientific advisors,
universities and regulatory agencies. Together, they drafted the plan
for this unique project.
From Trash to Treasure
The US Navy's progress with the cleanup of "Black
Beauty"--a superfund site at the former New Gosport landfill--helped
convince The Elizabeth River Project and other creek supporters that a
more concerted partnership approach was needed to achieve maximum
results on the creek. The Southeaster Public Service Agency, operating
the regional trash collection station and a waste-to-energy power plant,
implemented stormwater improvements and planted one acre of urban buffer
to the creek's shores. Giant Cement of Virginia set aside a 22-acre
"no-mow" zone and invested over $25,000 on pollution prevention. The
Craddock community and other volunteers, over 200 total, turned out for
an Earth Day 2002 clean up and planting along the creek. Citizens began
growing oysters to clean the water and restore the once-plentiful
mollusks and planting rain gardens to filter runoff. Peck Land Company
agreed to a 6.2-acre conservation buffer and wetland restoration with
the Elizabeth River Project. And as the Paradise Found plan was headed
to the print shop, the Portsmouth City Council voted unanimously to
create the Paradise Creek Park prescribed in the plan by Team Paradise.
It was obviously in the stars (River Stars, no doubt). The time was
right for Paradise Creek to live up to its name. There was still much
work to be done, but that's how it started.
