New Life Along Roanoke River’s Bank

Things are looking greener and brighter along the Roanoke River. Roanoke city officials this week opened another segment of the flood- control project, and they received word from the EPA that the federal government will kick in another $1 million for brownfield restoration.

Both efforts poise Roanoke to capitalize finally on one of its best but hidden assets.

The ongoing flood control project continues to change the landscape of the riverbank, and Roanokers began taking advantage of the new recreational trails long before the latest segment was completed.

The purpose of the 10-mile flood-control project is to lessen the damage that even small storms bring when the windy, mostly overgrown and neglected river spills its banks. To prevent this, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers called for clear cuts to the banks to create a basin.

Initially, Roanokers were alarmed by the removal of vegetation and the alteration of the landscape. Their concerns were addressed as the project was tweaked to allow some trees to remain and the clear cuts were landscaped with trees and grasses. All this creates the appearance of a linear park on most days.

While the project won’t eliminate flooding, it will contain water from all but the heaviest of downpours.

This allows for two things to happen:

n The newly shaped, wider banks contribute to the city’s greenways and provide additional recreation opportunities in a more aesthetically pleasing environment.

n Nearby property owners will be prompted to invest in their holdings as they will no longer need worry about routine flooding.

This second goal is where the EPA grant will come in handy. The latest $1 million grant, which will be matched with $200,000 in city funds, is expected to bring zero-interest loans to those property owners who turn brownfields — former industrial properties with environmental issues — into new, cleaner uses.

The funds should help owners of brownfields along the river near South Jefferson Street and in the Mountain View and Norwich neighborhoods.

Often environmental cleanup costs hamper reclamation, so the grants and loans should provide incentives to tackle the work.

This is the fourth brownfields grant Roanoke has received in the past year.

On the surface, both the brownfields and the flood-control projects will improve the appearance of Roanoke. But, they will do much more by providing a new corridor of growth.

(c) 2007 Roanoke Times & World News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.