Gills Creek Solution Saves $1 million dollars

By Mandy Catoe

August 13, 2017

Lancaster County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered to build this culvert on Gillscreek Drive east of Lancaster. The “bottomless” design allows Gills Creek to flow freely, protecting the habitat of the endangered Carolina Heelsplitter and preventing flooding during heavy rains. (photo supplied)

Call it a win-win-win situation. An endangered local species gets protection. A flood-prone neighborhood dries out. And Lancaster County avoids spending $1 million.
The project is an innovative new “bottomless culvert” that allows Gills Creek to flow unobstructed through the Gillscreek subdivision off S.C. 9 east of Lancaster. The county and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service teamed up primarily to protect the habitat of the endangered Carolina Heelsplitter, but the culvert also will keep the creek from backing up and covering Gillscreek Drive as it often does during heavy rains.
“If we had bid this work out, we would have easily spent over a million dollars, and we could have never afforded such a project on our own,” said County Administrator Steve Willis.
The county paid for engineering work, and the federal agency funded the materials and labor under its fish-passage program, an initiative that ensures that stream-dwelling fish have connected habitats. The Fish and Wildlife Service provides funding and technical assistance to reconnect streams and rivers that have been interrupted by development.
Lancaster County Council member Billy Mosteller praised the collaboration.
“The cooperation of our Public Works Director Jeff Catoe, county council, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the County Transportation Committee have made this possible,” Mosteller said. “This should correct any issues with flooding. The Gillscreek residents should be able to enter and exit after heavy rainfall.”
The new arched culvert rests on cement footings on either side of the creek. Unlike most culverts, which look like huge corrugated tubes, this one is shaped like an upside down “U” and uses the natural creek bottom to let the water to flow freely. As a result, flooding is reduced and aquatic habitats are improved and protected, including that of the Carolina Heelsplitter, a federally protected mussel.
Gills Creek is one of a handful of areas in the Palmetto State designated as a critical habitat for the Heelsplitter. Unfortunately, improper culverts and collapsed road crossings have further endangered the species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates only 154 Carolina Heelsplitters still remain in the wild. The freshwater mussel was listed as endangered in 1993. Photo supplied.

“Only an estimated 154 Carolina Heelsplitters remain in the wild,” said Jennifer Koches, a public affairs official with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Gills Creek watershed is important for the species, she said. Fixing the culvert issues at Happy Trail, Langley Road, and now Gillscreek Drive gives Lancaster County more than 5 miles of free-flowing habitat for the species.
After the epic floods of 2012, the Fish and Wildlife Service and Lancaster County officials agreed to find a better solution to flooding and the preservation of the Heelsplitter.
County improvements where Langley Road crosses Gills Creek in the Buford community and the new influent pump at the city of Lancaster’s wastewater treatment plant offered much relief to storm-water runoff.
The wastewater facility, thanks to the $45,000 pump, moves an additional 3 million gallons per day, helping floodwaters along Bear, Hannah’s and Gills creeks recede faster after big storms.
“It would take a huge rain event now to put Gillscreek Drive under water,” Willis said.
The labor involved in the project brought in federal employees from around the Southeast: Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery, Welaka National Fish Hatchery, Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, the Southeast Regional Office (Atlanta), and Ecological Services from Asheville, Charleston and Raleigh.

For more information: https://www.fws.gov/ecological-services/highlights/06122017.html

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