Reidsville/Collins Landscape Restoration Plan

Ecological assessments and public engagement support the development of nature-based flood mitigation solutions for a rural community.

In 2021, local citizens and the Anthropocene Alliance (AA)secured funding from the Environmental Integrity Project for an engineering study on six properties, three in Reidsville and three in Collins, to characterize and identify the causes for flooding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Silver Jackets Program performed hydraulics modeling for the watershed where the Reidsville flooding is occurring, and this information was used to leverage a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, which funded this project’s work.

Working with Sherwood Design Engineers as the prime contractor, Biohabitats assisted in describing the natural conditions present and characterizing geology, soils, and vegetation for the project sites. As information was gathered and assimilated, Biohabitats teamed with Sherwood to conduct public meetings to educate and gather first-hand knowledge of the project sites from the affected property owners.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding was secured to assist in developing concepts for flood mitigation, to be used in applying for additional EPA funding to finalize designs and implement them in the future.