Focus Watershed: Town Branch of South Elkhorn Creek

The South Elkhorn Creek watershed has urban, suburban, and rural land uses. Documented impacts to the Town Branch of the South Elkhorn Creek include contamination by pathogens, sediment, and nutrients. According to the KY River Basin Management Plan, a top priority for improvement of the watershed is to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff. A focus of the South Elkhorn action plan is to educate citizens about the importance of riparian area vegetation.

The McConnell’s Trace Neighborhood Association hopes to build on previous educational efforts through direct contact with local citizens in this watershed, with an emphasis on those residents who live adjacent to greenways. An educated population in the watershed will help reduce pollution coming from stormwater runoff through their acceptance of conservation plantings and management.

The McConnell’s Trace Neighborhood Association, in cooperation with the Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, will conduct a locally-led project to educate landowners in the Long Branch Greenway area of Town Branch Creek about proper use and care of the greenway. We will meet with the McConnell’s Trace and Masterson Station Neighborhood Associations in the area to educate citizens about the greenway and watershed issues. Students from elementary and middle schools will conduct demonstrations to help attendees understand these community issues.  During these meetings, attendees will develop plans to disseminate information within the watershed and engage other community members. Information in the form of fact sheets and flyers will be distributed to realtors selling homes in the area as well, so that new homeowners will have accurate information about the greenway.

This project is the pilot project of a comprehensive plan through the Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community to work through neighborhood associations to educate Lexington residents about the importance of water quality and how individuals can have a large impact on local watersheds. Lessons learned from this project will assist in the expansion to other greenways throughout the community.