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Interest in Kraut Creek grows |
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Tuesday, 02 October 2007 |
 Kraut Creek by Bryan Tarnowski
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by ANNE BAKER
Intern News Reporter
Although Kraut Creek makes its way through downtown Boone and the campus of Appalachian State University, it sometimes seems to be forgotten.
However, the urban stream is managing to bring together students, faculty and residents of the area who all share the common goal of making the creek a source of pride.
“In my 2004 project management class [in the department of geology and planning], students did a study on Kraut Creek and came up with designs for its transformation,” geography and planning assistant professor Dr. Jana E. Carp said.
Carp invited several community members to speak to her class and soon
realized there was a large interest in the remediation of the creek.
Shortly after, the Kraut Creek Committee was formed.
Kraut Creek, also known as Boone Creek, continues to be the object of
various studies performed by science classes on campus, and interest in
the creek’s fate lingers as well.
“I would guess that the 1.5 mile stretch of the creek [through campus]
is the most heavily instrumented stream in North America. A lot of
physical data is being taken in regards to the creek’s flow,
temperature, and sediment levels,” physics and astronomy assistant
professor Dr. Chris S. Thaxton said.
Senior chemistry major William P. Benner is one of the students
involved in studying the creek and focuses primarily on chemical
monitoring in the creek.
“I go on a sampling trip every month and take samples from various
locations along the creek all the way from the bottom of Durham Park to
Jimmy Smith Park,” Benner said.
A project is currently underway to help curb erosion in the creek channel near the old varsity gym.
Due to storms and flooding, this area is particularly troublesome as
further erosion could have a significant impact on the banks leading up
to River Street, said Carp.
While there is no target date for completion, the project is expected
to be a million dollar one, with funding coming from the North Carolina
Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Clean Water
Management Trust Fund.
Other plans for improvement in the future will focus on making the creek an amenity to those who wish to enjoy it.
Since Appalachian owns the most of the land on the creek, it is
important to remember that what happens on campus can have a large
impact on the health of the stream.
Both Carp and Thaxton agree, however, that the university continues to be a responsible landowner.
“The university is one of several organizations in Boone that share the vision of a restored Kraut Creek,” Carp said.
Students can also have either a positive or negative effect on the creek.
“We can design all these fancy systems to improve its health, but all
it takes is one student throwing trash in the creek to hinder that
improvement. We want to make the creek a jewel in the crown of our
environment,” Thaxton said.
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