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Students and Educators for Ecological Design and Sustainability

Tanyard Branch Restoration

Restoration of Tanyard Creek was the initial SEEDS project and remains a priority today. Much remains to be accomplished if we are to achieve the goals of this long term project.

Tanyard Branch is a stream that bisects campus along an east-west axis and runs past important campus landmarks including Tate Student Center and Sanford Stadium. Tanyard Branch currently poses a safety hazard due to its tall, unstable banks and contaminated waters, and supports very little aquatic life. If restored, Tanyard Branch could be a substantial amenity to campus as valuable greenspace and more significantly as an outdoor classroom for both teaching and research.

Image of Tanyard Creek near the Tate Center

Vision for the University of Georgia Watershed

We are:

Members of the UGA campus community who are interested in and involved with advanced research and teaching in ecological design, freshwater ecology, urban ecology, ecological restoration, and sustainability, and we are concerned about the health and stability of streams that run through our campus watershed.

Our vision:

That the condition of streams on campus be a witness to the university's commitment to improving the health of the watershed of which it is a part, as well as an example of the university's environmental stewardship that students will experience as a part of their education. Students, faculty, and staff of this institution have a wealth of knowledge about aquatic ecosystems; we envision a campus where this knowledge is put to work restoring its streams and where these streams serve the campus as sites for instruction, research and relaxation.

Tanyard Branch Project:

We have taken on the long-term goal of restoring Tanyard Branch, a stream that bisects campus along an east-west axis and runs past important campus landmarks including Tate Student Center and Sanford Stadium. Tanyard Branch currently poses a safety hazard due to its tall, unstable banks and contaminated waters, and supports very little aquatic life. If restored, Tanyard Branch could be a substantial amenity to campus as valuable greenspace and more significantly as an outdoor classroom for both teaching and research. Over fifteen instructors (below) have indicated their willingness to use Tanyard Branch in their courses ranging from bioengineering to ecology and design. Many of these faculty have already conducted class projects, so monitoring is in place to record the success of future restoration efforts.

Committed Faculty:

Name Department Course
Black, Marsha Environmental Health Sciences Aquatic Toxicology
Ferguson, Bruce Environmental Design Design Studios
Gattie, David Biological and Agricultural Engineering Senior Design Projects
Hartel, Peter Crop and Soil Sciences Microbial Tracers
Helfman, Gene Ecology Ichthyology
Jackson, Rhett Forest Resources Hydrology
Leigh, David Geography Fluvial Geomorphology
Lo, C.P. Geography GIS Techniques
Methvin, Hank Environmental Design Design Studios
Meyer, Judy Ecology Limnology
Morrison, Darrel Environmental Design Design Studios
Porter, Jim Ecology Introduction to Environmental Issues
Rasmussen, Todd Forest Resources Hydrology
Smith, Matt Biological and Agricultural Engineering Senior Design Projects
Wallace, J. Bruce Entomology Aquatic Entomology
Westmacott, Richard Environmental Design/td> Design Studios

In order to restore Tanyard Branch such that it becomes a recognized, appreciated and utilized component of the campus environment, S.E.E.D.S. has identified some priorities for review by campus leaders, in particular the office of Campus Planning.

  1. Delineate Tanyard Branch and other streams on the UGA Campus Master Plan.

    The absence of Tanyard Branch on campus maps and plans is indicative of campus attitudes towards this stream. It is treated as a gutter that conveys storm runoff rather than an ecosystem that should support aquatic life, human interaction with the environment, and teaching/research opportunities. Tanyard's exclusion from campus maps is also indicative of how visually and physically inaccessible this stream is to members of the campus community due to its treacherously high banks and the fact that it flows through pipes for much of its length. These problems are common to other campus streams as well.

  2. Identify some priority areas for stream restoration projects in Tanyard Branch. We have two projects that we would like to work with the University in implementing:

    Reach of Tanyard Branch between Lumpkin culvert and Sanford Stadium culvert:

    First of all, this reach would benefit from a wider riparian forest buffer (75 ft recommended). A riparian buffer in this reach would be ideal for housing a greenway path due to the large numbers of people who visit nearby campus landmarks. This greenway path could be used to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the dormitory residential area on one side of Lumpkin to Tate Center and Sanford stadium. Though this project would require cutting back the Tate Center parking lot, few parking spaces would be lost relative to the benefits gained for the campus environment. Secondly, the channel in this reach is so deep that the stream is confined, resulting in high energy storm flows that erode banks in addition to a lack of floodplain connectivity. Hydrologic connectivity between streams and their floodplains is vital to the health of stream ecosystems. We propose widening the channel in this reach of Tanyard Branch by shaping a wide (25 ft) and vegetated floodplain bench within the riparian buffer. This would accomplish some floodplain connectivity without sacrificing the channel's ability to convey large flood flows. In fact, this project would increase the channel's flow capacity, and would also reduce the erosion and undercutting of Tanyard's banks that is presently a large source of sediment pollution to this stream. We would like to design and install continuous monitoring devices with large display panels and interpretive signs in this reach so that users of the proposed greenway and the Tate Center parking lot (students, employees, Alumni, and other football game attendees) will be aware of our ongoing restoration and monitoring efforts.

    Reach of Tanyard Branch that is piped under Legion Field:

    We understand that the Campus Master plan includes changing uses for Legion Field, which we see as an opportunity to implement a stream restoration project there. Specifically, we recommend daylighting the reach of Tanyard Branch that is piped under Legion Field. Piping of streams is highly detrimental to stream ecosystems because it prevents lateral connectivity with groundwater, eliminates terrestrial inputs (e.g. leaf litter and woody debris), blocks sunlight needed for algal growth, and often results in hypoxic or anoxic conditions in streams. This reach is another that could provide valuable greenspace if restored, particularly since it is adjacent to a residential section of campus.

  3. Secure funding for comprehensive restoration of Tanyard Branch and other campus streams.

    S.E.E.D.S. would like to obtain federal money to do a comprehensive restoration of Tanyard Branch. Georgia's Environmental Protection Division receives several million dollars in grant money each year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under section 319(h) of the Federal Clean Water Act. Section 319(h) establishes federal grant money for the "prevention, control and/or abatement of nonpoint sources of pollution". Public agencies, including state universities, are eligible to apply for this grant money, so S.E.E.D.S. would like work with the University in applying for a 319 grant to do stream restoration projects on the UGA campus. In addition, USEPA requires that no more that 60% of the total project cost be paid for by federal money, so 40% of the cost must be contributed through matching funds. We would like to secure matching funds from the University of Georgia. The 2002 proposal deadline will likely be in February, award notification in June and receipt of grant funds in September. S.E.E.D.S. would like to partner with UGA Campus Planning, the new River Basin Science and Policy Center and the Upper Oconee Watershed Network to create a proposal for the 2002 funding cycle.

  4. Require 75 ft or wider forested riparian buffers for all future construction projects.

    Riparian buffers are known to be protective of stream water quality and habitat by filtering contaminants, slowing runoff, and shading stream waters. Additionally, streamside forests could be designed to provide valuable greenspace for the campus environment, allowing students, faculty, and staff to access and appreciate Tanyard Branch and other campus streams as well as providing habitat for urban wildlife. Athens-Clarke County currently requires 75 ft riparian buffers (Section 8-6, Code of Athens-Clarke County) on all streams delineated on the A-CC Environmental Areas Map. Though Tanyard Branch is not on this map, the county commission is considering a proposal to apply the 75 ft buffer width to all streams delineated on USGS topographical maps, which would include Tanyard Branch and several other campus streams. We also think its important that riparian buffers be denoted on the Campus Master Plan to ensure their protection in the future.

  5. Use pervious paving surfaces wherever possible for new construction projects. Employ ecologically sustainable run-off management practices for new construction projects.

    In urban areas, riparian buffers must be coupled with watershed management in order to stabilize the hydrology and geomorphology of urban streams. Tanyard Branch's watershed is currently over 60% impervious area, creating torrents of rapid runoff with immense power to degrade the streambed and banks during storms. This results in stream bank failure in which trees and large quantities of sediment collapse into the stream, threatening the permanence of any nearby structures. In the past, Tanyard Branch's banks have been bolstered with concrete slabs and rip rap, but the fact that slabs and rip rap now litter Tanyard's streambed are evidence that these are only short-term fixes and that a long term, more holistic approach is warranted. A comprehensive run-off management plan might also include detention/infiltration basins or constructed wetlands that would receive storm run-off and deliver it slowly to campus streams and a number of other stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs). Hydrology students have conducted research in Tanyard Branch and have made recommendations as to how this stream could be improved. The University of Georgia is home to experts in pervious paving, hydrology, and bioengineering, and we should display this expertise through the design and management of our campus environment.

  6. 20 Year Plan

    We see the above priorities as a long term project in which S.E.E.D.S. will work under the auspices of the River Basin Science and Policy Center in the College of Environment and Design to engage campus leaders, faculty, and students in achieving the following general objectives:

    • Recognition and appreciation of campus streams
    • Restoration and clean up of campus streams
    • Teaching and research opportunities in campus streams
    • Campus and community education about environmental stewardship
    • Making the University of Georgia an innovative model for other campuses to look to in the restoration and management of impacted urban streams
    • Forging interdisciplinary partnerships that the new College of the Environment and Design was intended to foster
    As a leader in aquatic science (ecology, hydrology, toxicology, etc.), home to the River Basin Science and Policy Center, and future home to a College of Environment and Design, the University of Georgia is in a strong position to employ resident expertise to restore campus streams for the benefit of our campus environment. Campus streams should be recognized for their immense potential value as teaching and research venues. Other campuses, notably the University of California at Berkeley and North Carolina State University, have made this recognition in completing extensive restorations of their campus streams (Strawberry Creek and Rocky Branch, respectively). A publication describing Berkeley's Strawberry Creek project notes that now over 3000 students each year take classes, ranging from biology to engineering, in which the creek plays a central role, and a natural history and conservation walking-tour of the creek has become very popular. At NC State, the North Carolina Stream Restoration Institute's ongoing project in Rocky Branch includes the installation of a riparian forest buffer for water quality improvement and urban wildlife habitat and a greenway path for alternative transportation and recreation opportunities. These projects exemplify the values and goals that S.E.E.D.S. would like to see fulfilled on our campus.

Tanyard Branch Publications