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Bihn Construction
The reclaimed Cripple Creek channel beside the Swamp Rabbit Trail, with rock toe protection and live stakes on the planted bank
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Cripple Creek Stream Reclamation

Public WorksStream RestorationGreenville, SC
The Project

Reclamation of an eroded reach of Cripple Creek, a Reedy River tributary running beside the Orange Line of the Swamp Rabbit Trail near Hampton Station. Years of stormwater runoff had cut the channel down into steep, failing banks. The corridor was cleared, the channel re-cut with a flood bench to take the velocity out of high water, the banks laid back to a stable slope, then armoured at the toe and planted.

Owner
Greenville County
Location
Greenville, SC
Division
Public Works
Scope
Stream Restoration
Scope of Work
Clearing and grubbing of the creek corridor
Channel excavation and re-grading with a flood bench
Failing vertical banks laid back to stable slopes
Rock toe protection through the bends
Coir matting, seeding, and live stake plantings
Erosion and sediment control alongside an active greenway
Two Stages

What changed.

  • The eroded Cripple Creek channel before the work, cut into bare failing banks beside the greenway trail
    Before
    The same reach reclaimed, with a re-cut channel, rock toe protection, coir matting, and live stakes taking on the bank
    After

    The trail-side reach, looking upstream toward the bridge.

  • A scoured, bare streambank at Cripple Creek with standing water at the toe before reclamation
    Before
    The reclaimed reach with a defined channel, rock through the bend, and grass established on the laid-back bank
    After

    The upper reach, where runoff had scoured the bank back into the slope.

On Site

The work, as built.

The before frames are the channel as we found it. The after frames are the same reach once the bank plantings had taken.

  • The re-cut channel meandering through the corridor with matting and plantings established on both banks
  • The creek corridor before the work, choked with overgrowth over an eroded channel
  • The corridor cleared and graded down to bare earth, with the rail line beyond
  • Survey stakes and flagging marking the new channel alignment across the graded corridor
  • Track marks across the freshly graded creek corridor during earthwork
  • The new channel cut and holding water, with the greenway trail running alongside
  • Rock toe protection set along the outside of the channel with the trail and tree canopy beyond
  • Live stakes and seeding across the new flood bench, with rock lining the low-flow channel
  • Bank plantings coming in along the reclaimed channel with rock through the bend
  • The reclaimed channel and the Swamp Rabbit Trail running together through the corridor
Built to Outlast Us.

Bring us your next site.

Stream restoration, streambank stabilization, and drainage work delivered around live greenways and public access. Most consultations are scheduled within 48 hours. Call (864) 305-5307.

Start Your Project →Call (864) 305-5307