1. General information Location and description of the intervention City or FUA Mobile (FUA) Region Northern America Short description of the intervention The Three Mile Creek Watershed project is part of the City Council watershed management plans (Ref 2) to stabilize the banks and the stream along the Twelve Mile Creek and Langan Park Lake, both of which drain into Three Mile Creek and Mobile Bay (Ref 1). The project aims to address the issues of degradation of the banks and destabilization of the creek, undercutting of sanitary sewer crossings and sedimentation in the creek and Langan Park Lake because of the increased water flow speed due to stormwater conveyance (Ref 2). Besides, major pollutants from run-off and sewage water contribute to the degradation of Three Mile Creek (Ref 5). Key initiatives include stabilizing the banks and streambed of the Twelve Mile Creek, dredging and restoring Langan Park Lake, and implementing instream structures to reduce erosion and protect infrastructure (Ref 2). The project also emphasizes reducing pollutants from stormwater runoff, improving water quality, and helping to protect the area’s estuarine and marine water resources (Ref 1). The project will increase natural habitat and contribute to regulating biodiversity by aiding in the abatement of invasive species such as the apple snail (Ref 2). It is expected to contribute to enhancing recreational access through the development of trails, educational programs, and water sports facilities. The overall goal is to restore ecological health, support flood control, improve the quality of life in the Mobile and Prichard communities and make the Three Mile Creek a recreational destination (Ref 6). Website of the intervention https://mapformobile.org/3mcwatershed/ Principal problems Climate-Related Hazards River flooding Urban flooding (stormwater) Environmental Degradation Invasive alien species Poor water quality Implementation area characterization Climate Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter) Ecosystem Urban or built environment Address Mobile, 36608 United States Location The NBS area is spread over a linear space, the GIS coordinates serve as points along a line (e.g. along a river) Area boundary (map-based) Area description Urban (main city) Type of area before implementation of the NBS Freshwater setting (e.g. river, channel, lake, pond) Public Greenspace Area Timeline of intervention Start date of the intervention (planning process) 2014 Start date of intervention (implementation process) 2023 End date of the intervention 2025 Present stage of the intervention Ongoing 2. Objectives of the intervention Objectives of the intervention Goals of the intervention The project included the following goals: 1) Supporting flood control (Ref 2) 2) To improve water quality and reduce pollutants, that were producing algal blooms (Ref 5, 3) 3) Restore ecological health (creation of habitat, reducing invasive species, protection of marine water resources) (Ref 1) 4) Improve the quality of life and enhance recreational access (Ref 1) 5) Restore the heritage and cultural connection between the watershed and the community (Ref 5) 6) Plan and prepare for climate resiliency (heavy rains and sea level rise) (Ref 5) Key Priorities Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation) Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration) Sustainability challenge(s) addressed Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13) Climate change adaptation Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14) Coastal protection / hazard mitigation Marine and coastal biodiversity protection Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15) Green space creation and/or management Habitat and biodiversity restoration Water management (SDG 6) Flood protection Stormwater and rainfall management and storage Improvements to water quality Health and well-being (SDG 3) Creation of opportunities for recreation Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10) Environmental education Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets? Implement measures that prevent/manage desertification, soil erosion and landslides Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater Restore rivers and other fresh water bodies to reduce flood or drought risk What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention? Species-focused What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets? Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems Clear and control invasive alien species Public engagement Implementation activities and NBS focus Implementation activities 1) Stabilizing the banks and streambed of Twelve Mile Creek by restoring riparian buffers and natural connections to flood plains (Ref 3) 2) Dredging and restoring Langan Park Lake (Ref 2) 3) Implementing instream structures (new trunk sewer and new tanks to increase sewer system capacity (Ref 6 video)) to reduce stream velocity/energy, reduce erosion, protect existing sanitary sewer crossings, and increase natural habitat (Ref 1) 4) Eliminate all know illicit connections/sanitary inputs (Ref 3) 5) Creating three access points, five portage enhancements for recreational access in the creek (Ref 3) 6) Install environmental education signage in six existing or proposed parks (Ref 3) Type of NBS project Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas River rehabilitation/ restoration Restoration, protecion and sustainable manage floodplains Ecological restoration of ecosystems Ecological restoration of existing green spaces Protection of natural ecosystems Habitat restoration Strategy, plan or policy development Creation of city-wide or neighborhood green and blue infrastrcuture protection or enhancement strategies/plans Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity Clearing out invasive alien species and allow natural regeneration maintaining the functionality the ecosystem Restoration and protection of ecosystems (including water ecosystems) 3. NBS domains, ES and scale NBS domain and interventions Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented Blue infrastructure Lakes/ponds Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries Riverbank/Lakeside greens Green areas for water management Sustainable urban drainage systems Amenities offered by the NBS Benches and drinking water stations Sports areas and equipment Educational or biodiversity trails Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations) Design elements for well-being Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation) Services Expected ecosystem services delivered Regulating services Flood regulation Water purification / filtration Habitat and supporting services Habitats for species Cultural services Recreation Mental and physical health and wellbeing Scale Spatial scale Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level Beneficiaries Demographics in implementation area Demographics of the city of Mobile (Ref 7): - Total population: 187,041 - Median age: 37.3 - Median household income: $50,051 - Average family size: 3.16 - Ethnicity: Black or African American (Non-Hispanic): 52.9%, White (Non-Hispanic): 39.7%, Two+ (Non-Hispanic): 2.18%, Asian (Non-Hispanic): 1.85%, and Two+ (Hispanic): 1.25% Socio-economic profile of the area Middle-income Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts Yes Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities Low-income neighborhoods Communities near industrial areas Communities located in floodplains Non-government actors Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital) Private sector/Corporate/Business Researchers, university Citizens or community groups Primary Beneficiaries Citizens or community groups Specify primary beneficiaries - Citizens of Mobile (Ref 3) - those with commercial interests in the watershed (Ref 3) Marginalized groups Vulnerable populations in disaster-prone areas Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups "Communities are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion and inundation", "restoring the Three Mile Creek's hydrology and water quality [...] to ensure watershed and community resilience" (Ref 4) Other beneficiaries Native plant vegetation Natural habitats (e.g. wetland, forests, coastal areas) Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification) City infrastructure (e.g., reduced flooding, improved water quality) 4. Governance and financing Governance Governance arrangements Government-led Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative Project Lead: City of Mobile Partners: University of South Alabama, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (NGO), MAWSS (Mobile Area Water & Sewer System), The Village of Spring Hill (a group of citizens) Funding: Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, RESTORE Council Publicly-owned utility: Mobile Area Water & Sewer System (MAWSS) Consultants: Phase 1 and 2: McCrory and Williams Phase 1 Construction: James H. Adams & Son Construction Phase 3: Geosyntec Consultants Key actors - initiating organization Local government/municipality Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors) Public sector institution Non-government organisation/civil society Citizens or community group Researchers/university Private sector/corporate actor/company Stages of citizen and community engagement Planning and design (e.g. site selection, identification of key priorities) Level of citizen and community engagement Limited Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders) Dissemination of information and education Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls) Uncommon actors ("Missing actors") Infrastructure & Management Utility companies: water, sewage, etc. Land owners Public space owned by the city Policy drivers NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy Unknown NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan Unknown NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan Yes Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan" The Three Mile Creek Watershed project is part of the City Council watershed management plans (Ref 2) Relevant strategy or plan Water regulation strategy Mandatory or voluntary intervention Unknown Enablers & Barriers Type of enablers Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships) Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives. The governance involves multiple actors - public and private - including local government, publicly-owned utility, consultancy company, citizens group, university and NGO. Governace and decison-making instruments Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans) Arrangements for governance cooperation Unknown Barriers The following potential barriers were identified at the designing stage in 2014 (Ref 5):- - Lack of awareness about the Creek, making it difficult to generate public support - changing the littering culture in this area. The potential for increased crime is a fear expressed in some neighborhoods. - Physical obstructions in Three Mile Creek will limit paddlers' use. - Different perceptions in populations east vs. west of I-65. - Industrial sites were singled out as potentially problematic. Financing Total cost More than €4,000,000 Please specify total cost (EUR) The costs of correcting the significant problems affecting the Three Mile Creek Watershed are anticipated to range between $43 million and $145 million, which includes addressing lack of recreational access and mitigating impacts associated with sea level rise (Ref 3) What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements? Funding through 2021: 12 280 940 USD = 11 062 817,69 Euros (exchange rate on 20/08/2024: 1 USD = 0,901060 EUR) (Ref 2) Source(s) of funding Public national budget Public regional budget Corporate investment Type of fund(s) used Earmarked public budget Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities) Non-financial contribution Unknown Co-finance for NBS Yes Co-governance arrangement Unknown Entrepreneurship opportunities Unknown Business models Business models Risk reduction model Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model? Public actor (e.g. municipality) Citizens / local communities 5. Evaluation and learning Impacts, benefits Environmental impacts Climate change Storm / wave induced erosion and flooding Expected storm / wave induced erosion and flooding Water management and blue areas Improved water quality Expected improved water quality Increased protection against flooding Expected increased protection against flooding Improved stormwater management Expected improved stormwater management Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems Expected enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems Expected enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems Green space and habitat Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems Description of environmental benefits -Storm / wave induced erosion and flooding: "Increased stream velocity due to stormwater systems have contributed to the degradation of the banks" "Instream structures will be constructed to reduce stream velocity/energy" (Ref 1) -Improved water quality: "The project will improve water quality" (Ref 1) -Increased protection against flooding: "support flood control" (Ref 1) -Improved stormwater management: "Increased velocities due to storm water conveyance systems have contributed to the degradation of the banks" "Instream structures will be constructed to reduce stream velocity/energy" (Ref 2) -Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems: "help to protect the area’s estuarine and marine water resources." (Ref 1) -Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems: "The Three Mile Creek watershed [...] supporting a broad diversity of both marine and freshwater species" (Ref 5) -Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems: help to protect the area’s estuarine and marine water resources." (Ref 1), "The Three Mile Creek watershed [...] supporting a broad diversity of both marine and freshwater species" (Ref 5) Environmental impact indicators Total area of habitat restored (in ha) unknown Water retention capacity (m³ or %) unknown Volume of stormwater treated (m³) unknown Economic impacts More sustainable tourism Expected more sustainable tourism Description of economic benefits More sustainable tourism: there is an expectation that the project will "make the Three Mile Creek a recreational destination" (Ref 6) Economic impact indicators Number of jobs created (e.g. park maintenance, landscaping, ecotourism) unknown Social and cultural impacts Social justice and cohesion Improved social cohesion Expected improved social cohesion Health and wellbeing Gain in activities for recreation and exercise Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise Cultural heritage and sense of place Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful Expected increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful Education Increased knowledge of locals about local nature Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature Social and cultural impact indicators Surface area of accessible green spaces (in ha) unknown Total area of recreational green space created or restored (in ha) unknown Number of environmental education programs, workshops, outreach activities (eg. in schools, community centers, public spaces) unknown Description of social and cultural benefits -Improved social cohesion: the project is expected to "also reconnect the communities to Three Mile Creek by providing them access to extraordinary green space in the middle of an existing urban community" (Ref 5) -Gain in activities for recreation and exercise: "make the Three Mile Creek a recreational destination" (Ref 6) -Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful: "reconnect Three Mile Creek to its surrounding communities." (Ref 5) -Increased knowledge of locals about local nature: "Install environmental education signage in six existing or proposed parks" (Ref 3) Evidence for use of assessment Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process Yes Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts Local government/municipality Presence of indicators used in reporting No evidence in public records Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports No evidence in public records Availability of a web-based monitoring tool No evidence in public records Name of any specific impact assessment tools - This five-year CIP [Capital Improvement Plan] proposes an annual cycle of monitoring and updating in alignment with the City’s budgeting process and regular assessments of Map for Mobile. The steps in that cycle, depicted graphically below, are: 1. Identify (Nov-Dec) ; 2. Score (Jan) ; 3. Prioritize (Feb-Mar) ; 4. Refine (Apr-Jun) ; 5. Adopt (Jul-Aug) (Ref 2) - Water quality and biological monitoring : “Report Assessment of Water Quality, Benthic Invertebrates, and Periphyton in the Three Mile Creek Basin, Mobile, Alabama, 1999-2003." (Ref 5) - Establish a Stormwater and Tidal Monitoring System (Ref 5) - Monitoring performance/outcomes (Ref 5) Use of GIS in mapping impacts No evidence in public records Cost-benefit analysis Unknown Transparency Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.) Clear communication channels for stakeholders to provide feedback, raise concerns, and ask questions about the project Justice Community satisfaction Unknown Trade-offs & Negative impacts Unknown Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement Unknown High-quality & Transformative NBS Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community) Yes Goal setting and impacts delivery Yes, from the planning phase the project aimed to address issues in these three key priority areas and it also delivered benefits across these three areas. Reaching original project goals Inconclusive as the project is still undergoing implementation, or is still on its planning stages Long-term perspective Yes Cost-effective solutions Unknown Equitable impacts C. Unknown Transformative capacity Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution) Technical change (e.g. built infrastructure of cities and their parts, roads, buildings and so on) Magnitude of change Transformative: (deep) by focusing on and substantially changing structures, including institutional ones (norms and rules). Application of lessons learned Unknown Perception of Environmental Change Unknown 6. Sources References 1. Map for Mobile (n.d.). Three Mile Creek Watershed Restoration - Official Website. Mobile, Al: Map for Mobile, p. 5 Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 2. City of Mobile (n.d.). Capital Improvement Plan. Mobile, Al: City of Mobile, p. 17. 88. Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 3. City of Mobile (n.d.). Restoring Three Mile Creek One Neighborhood at a Time - Summary. Mobile, Al: City of Mobile, p. 12 Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 4. Reynier, W. (2017). estoring Three Mile Creek via a Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. Mobile, AL: Cakex.org, p. 5 Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 5. Dewberry Consultant (2014). Three Miles Creek Watershed Management Plan. Mobile, Al: Dewberry Consultant, p. 1-13 Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 6. Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (n.d.). Mobile Bay National Estuary Program - Three Mile Creek + video. Mobile, Al: Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, p. 1 Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 7. Data-census.gov (2022). Demographics Mobile - Data-census.gov. Mobile, Al: Data-census.gov, Accessed on August 19, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; Comments and notes Public Images Image Three Mile Creek Watershed Restoration in Mobile (US) Official website of tje project (accessed 19/08/2024) https://mapformobile.org/3mcwatershed/
Image Three Mile Creek Watershed Restoration in Mobile (US) Official website of tje project (accessed 19/08/2024) https://mapformobile.org/3mcwatershed/
