Dresden Park Tiered Bioretention & Arrow Creek Stream Restoration

arrow creek before
Bioretention Project Schedule
Stream Restoration Concept

About the Project

In April 2020, the City received a Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the EPA to construct a tiered bioretention system at Dresden Park and restore the streambanks of Arrow Creek. These projects were identified as the top ranked Chamblee projects in the 2018 North Fork Peachtree Creek Watershed Improvement Plan, a joint effort between the City of Brookhaven and City of Chamblee. Goals of this plan include meeting state water quality standards, restoring stream buffers, improving stream habitat conditions, and promoting wildlife diversity and aesthetics. Arrow Creek, a tributary of North Fork Peachtree Creek, is classified as impaired for fecal coliform by Georgia EPD and has a stream habitat rating of “poor” due to instream erosion, sedimentation, and a poor stream buffer.

In November 2020, the City hired WK Dickson to design the tiered bioretention system and stream restoration. Currently, the City is in the data collection and design phase of the project. Project elements include a tiered bioretention system, stream restoration, invasive species removal, educational signage, designated stream public access sites, pre and post habitat assessments, and an operation and maintenance plan. A public meeting will be held late Spring 2021 to showcase the concept and offer feedback opportunities for the public, while construction is anticipated to begin by early Fall 2021.

Project Documents

  1. Dresden Stakeholder Meeting 1.28.21
  2. 2018 North Fork Peachtree Creek Watershed Improvement Plan

What is a Bioretention System?

A bioretention system collects surface stormwater from nearby roadways, parking lots, and greenspaces into shallow landscaped depressions. Native vegetation, microorganisms and engineered soil media within the landscaped depression clean out any pollutants and contaminants while the stormwater drains through the system. During a heavy storm, the stormwater intentionally ponds in the depression before filtering through the system, resulting in a controlled release of the stormwater into the adjacent stormwater system, preventing flooding. The Dresden Park tiered bioretention system will reduce runoff volume, peak discharge rates, pollutants, and sediment load entering Arrow Creek as well as create a biodiverse habitat for native wildlife. 

What is Involved in Stream Restoration?

Stream restoration utilizes a combination of techniques and natural materials such as rocks, logs, and native plants to diminish stream bank erosion and sedimentation loads, improve water flow, restore stream habitats, and reinstate the natural meander of a stream. Logs and rocks are intentionally located with the stream to direct water back to the center of the stream and away from the eroding stream banks. To stabilize banks where erosion already exists, imbricated rip rap may be installed to create walls or banks may be graded into sloping tiers, tying into the surrounding landscape. The stream restoration within Arrow Creek will focus on utilizing methods and techniques that tie into the landscape, reusing as many existing natural elements as possible.