Swannanoa River Floodbench Project

Swannanoa River Floodbench Project is a design build project that consists of approximately 2800 linear feet of the Swannanoa River. The first portion of the project is along the south bank of the Swannanoa River between Hemphill Road and Norfolk Southern Railway near the confluence with Flat Creek and is 7.25 acres within the regulatory (1%) floodplain. Erosion on the north bank can be reduced by the construction of a floodbench and off channel pocket wetlands.

The second portion of the project is along the south bank of the Swannanoa River between Norfolk Southern Railway and Interstate 40 east of Riverwalk Park identified in the 2009 Stormwater Master Plan. This project includes floodplain benching and construction of a 1-3 acre wetland. It will improve the connection to the floodplain reducing stress on the banks and the need for hard bank stabilization and diverting flows from frequent storm events into the wetland for water quality treatment.

The project was identified in the Town of Black Mountain Stormwater Master Plan Update in 2022. The project will be funded by a $5,000,000 grant awarded through the NC Division of Water Infrastructure-Local Assistance for Stormwater Infrastructures Investment (LASII) Construction Grant program. The project will be administered by NCDEQ NC319 Non-Point Source Program and the Division of Water Resources Water Resource Development Grant, received from the US Environmental Project Agency (EPA).

North State Environmental (NSE) has been selected to design, permit, and construct this project. For this project, NSE
has partnered with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. and Jenning Environmental to lead the design and permitting
phases of the project. Other partners include PilotSEE for survey and mapping, and Froehling & Robertson (F&R) for
geotechnical engineering.