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After decades of neighborhood flooding, redesigned creek debuts in Charlotte's Hidden Valley
A redesign at the headwaters of the Little Sugar Creek, along with a new garden, is intended to resolve an ongoing flooding problem in the neighborhood.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After years of neighborhood flooding, and a recent grant to seek a solution, a newly redesigned stream and wetlands have debuted in Charlotte’s Hidden Valley neighborhood.
Hidden Valley neighborhood is located in the northern part of Charlotte. It was developed in the early 1960s and suffered decades of flooding during bad storms.
On Wednesday, community members hosted a planting day on the site of a new ecological garden along Wellingford Street. This 14-acre site sits adjacent to the start of the Little Sugar Creek just off of North Tryon street.
Marjorie Parker, Hidden Valley Community Association president, hopes their efforts help encourage more people to visit the ecological garden.
Improvements to Little Sugar Creek in Charlotte’s Hidden Valley neighborhod
WCNC Charlotte’s Larry Sprinkle was there Wednesday as volunteers from the community partnered with members of the Charlotte–Mecklenburg Water Service team to plant over 500 flowers. The purpose of these flowers is to “provide valuable food and habitat sources for wildlife,” according to a statement from Mecklenburg County.
In 2020 a grant was given by the City of Charlotte to the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services. This money was used to restore several wetlands in the area, build a large pond, and clean stormwater runoff. The efforts were meant to resolve the neighborhood’s reoccurring flooding problem.
As part of the project, about half a dozen homes were knocked down to make way for the ecological park and creek improvements.
Caroline Burgett, a project manager with Mecklenburg County Stormwater Service told Sprinkle heavy rain would often cause the creek to overflow its banks. Now Burgett said the new improvements will allow the water to soak into the ground naturally.
Contact Larry Sprinkle at lsprinkle@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.