Success Stories
Bellemeade Park
Problem:
Albro Creek runs through Bellemeade Park in the City of Richmond. The creek offered great potential but had suffered from years of neglect.
Solution:
A group of environmentally-focused organizations restored the creek’s banks, planted forest buffers and native plants, and installed bioswales to capture runoff from adjacent streets and neighborhoods.
Outcome:
The creek and surrounds now offer beautiful, shaded natural areas, provide an outdoor classroom for students and visitors, and help process rainwater pollutants.
Bellemeade Park serves the City of Richmond in an area where many families have limited access to natural recreation and education. Albro Creek runs through the park, which is next to an elementary school and residential housing, but it suffered from years of neglect.
In 2013, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Green Infrastructure Center, and James River Association partnered with the City of Richmond to restore stream banks and install a forested buffer along Albro Creek in Richmond’s Bellemeade Park. A bioswale – a strip of land with permeable fill and plantings, designed to catch and filter rainwater runoff – was also installed to manage neighborhood stormwater and reduce pollution entering the creek.
Forty-four native riparian trees and dozens of shrubs were planted by the Green Infrastructure Center to build the stream buffer along Albro Creek. Several hundred more saplings were planted by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
These actions reduce pollution going into the creek while also providing outdoor recreation and learning opportunities for the community and for students attending Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School.
Can we have a quote for this are from someone involved in the project, about its benefits?
Buffer restoration and water runoff management have transformed a key community green space.
About the Project
Location: City of Richmond, VA
Year Installed: 2013
Land Type: City park
Area of Riparian Buffer: ???
Plantings: 44 native riparian trees and dozens of shrubs were planted by the Green Infrastructure Center to build the stream buffer along Albro Creek. Several hundred more saplings were planted by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
Improvements: The creekbanks were repaired, and a forested buffer was planted. A bioswale was added to capture runoff from the adjacent neighborhood.
Programs Used: Altria, Chesapeake Bay Program, Virginia Department of Forestry
Key Partners: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, James River Association, Green Infrastructure Center
Installed by: ??? a mix of volunteers and staff?
