City of North Charleston Restoration for Resilience

With parallel goals of reducing flood risk and restoring habitat, restoration master plans chart the course for resilience in three tidal creek watersheds along the South Carolina coast.

North Charleston is South Carolina’s fourth largest city yet has not received a level of resilience planning proportionate to the risks facing its citizens and businesses. After the City acquired a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to conduct watershed restoration master plans for three tidal tributaries to the Cooper River, Biohabitats led the planning process.

As ecological experts on a team with HLA, Inc., Biohabitats helped craft restoration master plans for the Filbin Creek, Noisette Creek, and Quitman’s Marsh watersheds, all of which have already experienced frequent flooding and habitat degradation.

Biohabitats began by assessing the ecology and baseline conditions of each site. This included characterizing landscape features such as topography, soils, vegetation, habitat, hydrology, and stormwater infrastructure. The team then identified the constraints and opportunities to implement nature-based solutions to build resilience and habitat value for each site. Biohabitats worked with the City and key stakeholders to develop a shared vision as well as goals, objectives, approaches, and anticipated outcomes for each site.

Based on desktop assessment, fieldwork, and stakeholder input, Biohabitats crafted master plans for each site and developed concept designs for three selected restoration interventions. Biohabitats also explored the feasibility of initiating a related green workforce program for the City of North Charleston and prepared a report outlining recommendations.