The City of Wilson will receive $3.2 million from the State of North Carolina to further implement the Hominy Creek stormwater plan. The funding will allow the city to construct two water quality parks adjacent to the Hominy Creek Greenway and an underground water storage system near Wilson Fire/Rescue Services Headquarters on Hines Street.
City officials have been working for several years to reduce flooding and improve water quality in Hominy Creek, which runs nearly 10 miles through the center of Wilson. The city created the Hominy Swamp Restoration Plan (Category 4b Plan) in 2019 to address needed improvement in the waterway. The plan has three strategies: reducing pollution that enters the creek, managing stormwater and limiting its impact on the stream, and restoring natural areas along the stream and swamp areas. If the city did not address these issues, federal authorities could force development restrictions in the surrounding area.
“This award is huge in advancing our stormwater implementation plan,” said Bill Bass, Wilson’s Public Works Director. “The state typically doesn’t include stormwater projects in this funding, so it was great news that it was available for this cycle. The additional $3.2 million will have a major impact on our stormwater infrastructure around Hominy Creek, reducing flooding in a large area around the city.”
Bass added that effective stormwater management benefits residents and city infrastructure. Alleviating flooding concerns for property owners provides more stability during the severe weather that often affects Wilson, and keeping streets from flooding means city infrastructure isn’t degraded from high- and fast-moving water. Additionally, slowing the flow of water limits erosion which is beneficial for fish, animals and microscopic organisms that must be present for a healthy stream.
“Improving water quality continues to be a focus point for us here at the City," said Noah Parson, Water Division Infrastructure Manager. "In a collaborative effort, we are taking a creative approach, looking at areas that were previously developed without any stormwater requirements and finding a way to retrofit a new measure into the existing space.”
Hominy Creek is classified as an impaired waterway, and the city’s Stormwater team is working to remove it from that list. Many different factors lead to the impaired waterway marker – for Hominy Creek the issue is related to sediment pollution, caused by the high-speed water flow that happens during storms. The City has taken several steps to improve the stream including stabilizing the stream bank to reduce erosion. The city’s innovative approach to improving the stream has attracted attention from state and regional water quality organizations, and the department has been awarded nearly $12 million in the last several years, including this competitive grant award. In 2022, the statewide Stormwater Managers Conference was held in Wilson.
The project timeline is in development with no exact dates available at this time. This grant funding must be spent by 2026.
Hominy Creek Greenway Master Plan: https://www.wilsonnc.org/home/showpublisheddocument/586/636707389448970000
Category 4b Plan: https://www.wilsonnc.org/home/showpublisheddocument/4706/637867471941800000
