Watershed Description

The Valley River begins in the Snowbird Mountains near the Cherokee/Graham county line and flows generally southwest into the Hiwassee River near Murphy.  The entire 120-square mile watershed lies within Cherokee County, North Carolina and the county boundaries follow the watershed boundary for much of its length.  The Valley River is one of the largest tributaries to the Hiwassee River and directly influences the water quality of Hiwassee Lake immediately downstream.  The Valley River is considered an aquatic significant natural heritage area by the NC Natural Heritage Program due to the overall diversity of species, as well as the occurrence of several rare aquatic and wetland-dwelling animal species its contains.  Additionally, the Valley River and many of its tributaries contain all 10 “priority aquatic species” in the fish category that are listed in the NC Wildlife Resources Commission’s Wildlife Action Plan as most important for project support in the Hiwassee River basin.  One such fish is the sicklefin redhorse, a sucker species that was only recently discovered and is being intensively studied by fisheries biologists.

  

 

Goals & Objectives of the Valley River Watershed Restoration Project

The primary goal of the Valley River Watershed Restoration Project is to reduce turbidity and sedimentation such that full use support status is returned to the Valley River and it is removed from the 303(d) List of impaired waters once and for all.  Other objectives include decreasing stream temperatures by improving riparian buffers, increasing habitat assessment scores through a variety of in-stream habitat improvements, and reducing nonpoint source pollution from farmlands and developed areas through design and implementation of best management practices. 

 

History of the Valley River Watershed Restoration Project

In 2001, with the Brasstown Creek Watershed Restoration Project well underway, HRWC began to turn its attention to another 303(d)-listed water in the North Carolina portion of the basin – the Valley River. In 2003, after several iterations of a grant proposal and struggles with state budget cuts, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) provided a $400,000 grant to the Coalition to help support a restoration initiative in the Valley River watershed. Using this initial funding from the Trust Fund and funding from other agencies working in the watershed, HRWC began Phase I of a multi-year watershed restoration initiative.

 

During Phase I of the Valley River Watershed Restoration Project, fish and aquatic insect community data were collected at 24 sites in the watershed, including four sites on the Valley River proper, most of which were last sampled in 1993-94.  A report of these data with comparisons to historical data was published by HRWC in November 2004 and is available for download below.  HRWC was also able to begin restoration activities with a 5,600-linear foot project along the Valley River below Andrews (Wood Phase I) and a 960' project along Town Branch (Andrews Rec Park).

 

Valley River Watershed Biological Assessment Report, Nov 2004 (3MB pdf)

  

Final Report to the CWMTF for Phase I of the Valley River Watershed Restoration Project (pdf)   

 

In 2004, the CWMTF approved $966,000 (44%) of HRWC’s nearly $2.2 million grant request for Phase II of the Valley River Watershed Restoration Project and $61,000 to complete construction of the project along Town Branch at the Andrews Recreation Park.  Restoration of another 5,200-linear foot reach was conducted on the Valley River in 2006, along with 450 feet of Sam Branch (Middle Valley); and in 2008, 2,450 linear feet of the Valley River was enhanced along the Townson Farm as part of the Valley River at Marble project.

 

Current Project Status

Since 2003, HRWC (thanks to two more grants from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund) and its partners have spent more than two million dollars for assessment, planning, and restoration efforts in the Valley River watershed.  To-date, project partners and private landowners have conducted stabilization and enhancement activities along 13,250 linear feet (2.5 miles) of the Valley River and restored 1,550 linear feet of its tributaries.  In addition to reducing bank erosion and sedimentation, these projects have significantly increased floodplain area along reaches of river that were previously constricted by levees and improved aquatic habitat.  Pasturelands have been improved, livestock have been fenced out of waterways, and waste management plans implemented.  More than 25 acres of riparian buffer areas have been placed into permanent conservation easements after being replanted with native trees, shrubs and grasses.

HRWC is currently completing a watershed action plan to guide its future restoration efforts within the Valley River watershed.  The plan calls for the watershed to be divided into smaller sub-watersheds for future water quality improvement activities.  The plan also calls for more comprehensive planning to occur within each sub-watershed, including development of recommendations for managing quantity and improving quality of stormwater and evaluating other sources of nutrients (e.g. failing septic systems), in addition to prioritizing sites for restoration and planning agricultural BMPs.

HRWC is also working with Cherokee Co. Schools on a project at the Murphy High and Middle School campuses.  For more information, visit the Murphy HS Track project page.  This project was funded by the NC Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.

 

A grant application was submitted in February 2009 to the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to facilitate further water quality improvements in the upper third of the Valley River watershed by planning and designing future stream restoration projects, riparian buffer enhancements and agricultural and stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Interested landowners should contact HRWC Restoration Coordinator, Tony Ward by email to restore@hrwc.net or by calling (828) 837-5414 x203.