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Greenville Utilities Commission recognized for 101-acre conservation easement planting 63,900 trees to protect Tar–Pamlico watershed
Summary
Council recognized Greenville Utilities Commission's four-year conservation easement project at its wastewater treatment plant farm, which planted 63,900 hardwoods and shrubs across 101 acres to capture nutrients before they reach the Tar–Pamlico watershed.
The Greenville City Council on Oct. 6 recognized a multi-year environmental project led by the Greenville Utilities Commission that established a conservation easement on 101 acres of stream drainage at the utilities' wastewater treatment plant and the planting of 63,900 hardwood trees and shrubs.
Mayor PJ Connolly introduced the recognition, describing the project as a four-year effort to create restorative buffers that "provide planned perpetual green spaces, which are maximized to capture nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus to protect our surface waters." He said the project was implemented in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, which provided oversight.
According to comments in the meeting, the planting includes 31 species of hardwood trees and shrubs — cited examples included persimmon, oaks and redbud — and is calculated to prevent approximately 227,000 pounds of nitrogen and 14,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering the Tar River. A wastewater-staff member referenced the project as protecting ratepayers' interests while yielding environmental benefits; staff also said they are exploring a constructed-wetlands project to further treat tertiary effluent and recharge groundwater.
The council's recognition highlighted the project's scale and estimated nutrient reductions but did not represent a regulatory action by the city; it was presented as a staff and utilities accomplishment.
Why it matters: The conservation easement is intended to reduce nutrient runoff into the Tar–Pamlico watershed, an area identified in the meeting as nutrient-sensitive. City and utilities officials described the project as an enduring environmental protection measure that also increases tree canopy in the community.
