Creekbank Restoration Project
Along Sweeten Creek in Asheville, NC
A Collaboration for Wildlife in Urban Spaces:
This project was led by Wild Ash Consulting and partially funded by Riverlink.
Goals:
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Repair degraded creekbanks.
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Control future erosion using native plants.
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Shade the stream to support aquatic wildlife.
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Add deep-rooted meadow plants to further support the local ecology of the riparian zone.
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Create a bloom eruption from spring to fall.
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Reduce maintenance and mowing of the banks.
Bringing Life Back to the Banks
If you’ve walked by the creek near Ernest Co-warehousing or Devil’s Foot Beverage and wondered what’s going on—there's a lot more than meets the eye. This project is an evolution and at the beginning of a 3-year long restoration timeline, it might look a little wild, but I'm here to explain.
We’re restoring this important stretch of Sweeten Creek to create a healthier, more stable ecosystem that supports both people and wildlife. This creekbank was previously dominated by turfgrass and invasive species that did little to prevent erosion or support the local environment. Now, we’re giving it a much-needed boost—a new story—which you're now a part of.
Project Timeline
Sept 27th 2024
Hurricane Helene
February 2025
Repair and Restoration Planning
March 2025 - April 2025
Phase 1 - Live Stake Installation
June 2025
Phase 2 - Meadow Installation
August 2025
Check-In and Remediation
October 2025
More Aggressive Planning
February 2026
Streambank Repair Workshop
Spring - Fall 2027
Spring 2028 and Beyond
Hurricane Helene compromised this little section of Sweeten Creek by causing several cave-ins along the banks in front of the Ernest and Devil's Foot building. The banks had only tall fescue and several invasive plant species with shallow roots holding the soil.
Riverlink and Wild Ash met with the property owner to review the multi-phased plan to restore the banks and Riverlink committed to partially fund the first two phases of the restoration project.
Wild Ash completed Phase 1, which included re-sloping the parts of the banks that caved in, installing three coco coir wattle logs (these act as a prosthetic bank foundation - or toe), a jute erosion blanket, and over 350 live stake branches from native shrubs including ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), silky willow (Salix sericea), and arrowwood vibernum (Viburnum dentatum). We also prepped the tops of the banks by killing the tall fescue and invasives by using an aquatic-safe herbicide (this is the best way to hold the integrity of the already-compromised soil along the bank).
Wild Ash completed the installation of Phase 2 with the help of Riverlink labor, to create a deep-rooted, flowering native meadow design that will further support the health of the creek by controlling run-off, inviting birds, pollinators, and amphibians to make themselves at home at the food buffet.
We installed over 2,000 plant plugs including little bluestem and blue grama grass as the foundational matrix to support perennial flowers like Blue mistflower, Echinacea, Verbena, Bee balm, Goldenrod, Aromatic aster, Joe Pye Weed, Ironweed, Coreopsis, and Blazing Star.
The meadow was growing in beautifully with the perennials and grasses much bigger than expected. This looked like a year 2 meadow already!
However, upon inspection of the banks, the live stakes had only about a 15-20% success rate, with some missing completely and those that grew showed rodent damage. The warehouse manager caught a beaver on camera who was likely pulling them out and munching on them.
There was noticeable erosion along the banks since the live stakes mostly failed, even behind the coco coir matting that was used. We also saw cracking showing on the Ernest side of the creekbank indicating that the soil was about to slough off. This area was then covered in a double-thick layer of coco coir matting and plugged with Juncus effucus (Soft Rush) close to the toe, Chasmanthium latifolium (river oats) midway, and more Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem). We continued the plugs along the bank upstream to the bridge.
With the banks continuing to erode and the building being so close to the creek, we are unable to grade at the ideal 3:1 or even 2:1 angle, so we are seeking more aggressive biological repair techniques with the help of Mitch Woodward and the NC State Extension Office, guidance from various engineers, Riverlink, Mountain Valleys RCD, and Buncombe County Soil & Water.
We have a streambank repair workshop scheduled for Feb 5th with NC Extension on-site to demonstrate two more aggressive techniques to protect the banks and the structure. This will include whips, fascines, and a brush mattress with species like Cornus sericea (Red Twig Dogwood), Cephalanthus occidentalis (Button Bush), and Salix glaucosericea (Silky Willow).
After adding more aggressive repair techniques to the banks, we are hoping to see the shrub species fill in and push roots into the fresh wattles and coir blankets as well as the banks.
The meadow should fill in even further and begin to self-seed down into the banks as well, pushing fibrous roots down alongside the shrubs.
By year two of the planting, you'll begin to see the shrubs grow to a height and width that closely resembles their root structure under the soil, helping to secure the banks. The meadow begins to close in without much room in between plants, which reduces the amount of potential for invasive seeds to take hold. The bloom succession is giving us a solid preview of what is to come after the establishment period ends next year.
The third year of a native planting we call the "leap year"—the first year plant growth sleeps, second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps. We're really starting to see the full beauty of what a thriving naturalistic riparian planting can look like and do for the creek ecosystem. The plants are large and full, they are shading the creek, and fully populated with pollinators, creatures, and life.
Project Photo Gallery
Why Restoration Matters Here:
Biodiversity begins at the water’s edge, where native plants and deep roots rebuild the balance between land and stream.
Creekbanks need deep, spreading roots to stay stable. Unfortunately, many common landscape grasses (like tall fescue) have shallow roots and die back in winter, leaving the banks exposed to erosion—especially during high water events.
On this property, erosion had already started to cause visible damage. There was no shade for the water, no deep root systems to hold the soil, and very few native plants to support birds, insects, and pollinators.
Healthy creekbanks act like sponges and filters. They slow down stormwater runoff, prevent pollution from entering the creek, provide shade to keep water temperatures safe for aquatic life, and offer habitat for native species.
