This underwhelming waterway is known as Kraut Creek to residents of Boone, NC, who remember the days when a local sauerkraut factory sent its runoff downstream, polluting air and water alike. Now that the factory is long gone, a group of professors, students, engineers and local environmentalists who are inspired by the creek's potential have teamed up to restore a 150-foot stretch of the stream to its former glory.

“When the project is completely finished, it’s going to be beautiful,” says Jana Carp, pictured at left. “We have a landscaping plan that will filter storm water runoff, stabilize the banks and incorporate native plants and shrubs that will shade the creek and provide a better habitat for fish, amphibians and birds.”

While the scope of the project is small, the Committee hopes that their work, in partnership with local organizations such as the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, MountainKeepers, and the National Committee for the New River, will inspire other property owners along the stream banks to embark on similar projects.

The restoration is expected to take about four weeks to complete, although it will take much longer to see the return of wildlife and measure differences in water quality. For more information, click here.

Image: Members of the Kraut Creek Committee on the damaged banks. Photo taken by Marie Freeman, via Appalachian State University News.