At nearly 90’ across, the Sam Davis Dam was the Compact’s largest dam removal to date. The dam impeded the natural flow of Stewart Creek and created a multitude of conditions that impaired the habitat for aquatic animals. Excess sediment, nutrients, and pathogens, as well as habitat alteration and low dissolved oxygen all contributed to poor water conditions. After removal, the in-stream conditions improved quickly and dramatically. Today, roughly 9,000 feet of backwater are flowing again, and approximately 6.5 miles of Stewart Creek are unobstructed for the first time in over 80 years.
Dam removal allows for improved species migration and increased genetic diversity within a creek (eliminating the “aquarium” effect produced between multiple dams on a single waterway). Crucially, it also improves water flow. What was once a stagnant backwater with a mucky, sediment-filled bottom is now a mix of diversified habitat – riffles (fast and turbulent shallow water), runs (fast and smooth deep water), and pools. Flowing water prevents nutrients from pooling and causing harmful algal blooms, and it prevents sediment from building up into a quicksand-like substrate like it once did behind the dam. Many aquatic species are sensitive to temperature increases, and the water that flows through Stewart Creek today stays cooler than the slow-moving water that previously heated up behind the dam under the sun.
Over 500 feet of collapsing banks – both upstream and downstream of the dam – are also being restored by the Compact. Unstable banks have been re-sloped to match the grade of healthy stream banks. Invasive plants have been removed, over 1,500 native trees and shrubs have been planted, and over 120 pounds of native plant seed have been sown to restore the riparian buffer. In the years to come, the Compact will monitor and manage the restored banks of the stream to ensure that native species thrive and invasive species are minimized.
As this new riparian buffer matures, it will protect the stream banks from erosion and filter pollutants (including nutrients, sediment, and pathogens) from stormwater entering the channel. A growing canopy will increasingly shade the stream, helping water temperatures stay cool. A mix of nearly two dozen beautiful and beneficial native species were planted, including herbaceous species of coreopsis, tickseed, and river oats, understory trees and shrubs such as dogwood, spicebush, and elderberry, midstory trees like black willow and persimmon, and overstory trees including oak, sycamore, and river birch.
This work was done in partnership with The Sam Davis Memorial Association, Rutherford County Schools, private homeowners, and KCI Technologies.
In total, the project area includes roughly nine acres, encompassing roughly 2,500 feet of stream and 50 feet of adjacent stream buffers on both sides of Stewart Creek. All nine acres are within a permanent conservation easement held by the Cumberland River Compact; this means funding is in place to monitor and manage the site for seven years and to permanently protect it.
