North Buffalo Creek has flooded in heavy rainstorms for as long as anyone can remember.
In fact, in the 1970s and ’80s, there was an organization called the Buffalo Creek Canoe Club that canoed down Buffalo Creek when it was in flood, but before the flood waters got so high that a canoe wouldn’t fit under the bridges. However, this was not a practice endorsed by the City of Greensboro.
The Greensboro Water Resources Department is holding a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Color Works Meeting Space at Revolution Mills at 1000 Revolution Mills Dr. to get community input for the North Buffalo Creek Watershed Study.
The North Buffalo Creek Watershed Study is investigating the repetitive flooding issues of North Buffalo Creek and looking at opportunities for improvement.
Three alternatives that will be presented are to increase water storage upstream, to eliminate downstream constrictors and to increase stream conveyance.
The goal of the project – which began in October 2020 but was delayed by COVID restrictions that outlawed community meetings – is to come up with some solutions to help reduce flooding. But it is recognized that it may not be possible to eliminate all flooding because of the nature of the watershed.
According to the report, the North Buffalo Creek watershed is a highly developed, urbanized area comprised of residential, public and commercial properties with a large amount of impervious surface. The presentation also notes that much of the development in the North Buffalo Creek Watershed area took place before regulations were in place requiring developers to control stormwater runoff.
The city wants to hear from people who have experienced flooding in the North Buffalo Watershed basin and is asking people to complete this survey:
The survey also allows you to attach photos of specific flooding events or damage caused by flooding in the North Buffalo Creek Watershed area.
Rebuild the Elm. Street bridge. Open it up
Back when I was a child (during the Hoover administration), Buffalo creek would overflow after most every deluge. It still overflows. So what has our government done in the last lifetime?
I hope that the Water Resource Department will take into consideration all the leaves that are destined to make their way into Buffalo Creek as a result of the new, improved leaf pickup program enacted by the Greensboro City Council. We have been informed that the old leaf pickup program averaged pickups of around 15,000 tons each season, but the new pickup program will pick up 95 gallons a week from the average yard. A homeowner can purchase an additional 95-gallon receptacle and maybe add a few bags of leaves as well. The city was unable to convert tons to gallons when requested, so I expect that the new program will actually pick up a much smaller volume of leaves than the old program. That being the case, many of the leaves that are not picked up seem likely to make their way into Buffalo Creek. I doubt it will reduce flooding, but the Water Resource Department might benefit from consultation with the Councilmembers who supported the new, improved leaf pickup program…
Excellent article! I look forward to the additional flooding created by leaf backup. Maybe council will spend hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to study this lifetime problem with new consultants.
the creek is obstructed out in the NE county where the crowns of huge trees have tipped over into the main channel forming trash dams far from roads in marshy areas. clear those if u can get to them.