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County accepts $101,020 STRAP award to clear stream debris on Bridal River and Hinton Creek
Summary
The board accepted a $101,020 award from the state's Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program (STRAP) to clear vegetative debris and address erosion on two impaired stream segments (Bridal River and Hinton Creek), prioritizing the worst-affected sections after a larger $514,000 application was only partially funded.
Cleveland County commissioners on Sept. 15 approved acceptance of a $101,020 award from the Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program (STRAP) to remove vegetative debris and stabilize two stream segments identified as priorities by the Soil and Water Conservation District.
Jamie Bridal, with the Cleveland County Soil and Water Conservation District, told commissioners the district applied for $514,000 to clear two problem areas — two log jams on the First Bridal River (approximately a 5,000-foot section near Highway 10 and Bracket Cedar Park) and a roughly 9,000-foot stretch on Hinton Creek (from just below Hollis Road to 226). Bridal said the project will focus on the worst sections because the awarded amount is smaller than requested: "We did apply for $514,000 ... we got about onefive of it which was $101,020 is what they have said that Cleveland County can be awarded" (Jamie Bridal, SEG 837-842).
Commissioners asked whether landowners bear responsibility for clearing debris and whether FEMA or USDA programs would assist after the recent hurricane. Bridal said STRAP is state-administered and intended to address public benefits such as reduced flooding and sedimentation that can affect county water intakes; she also said the USDA's Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program can support debris removal in declared disaster counties. Bridal noted that STRAP-funded work must remove debris at least out of the 100-year floodplain and that most of the affected stream segments are on privately owned land, requiring landowner permission and possible off-site disposal or chipping of removed material.
Commissioner Hudgens moved to accept the $101,020 award and allocate it to stream remediation; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. Bridal and the district will coordinate landowner permissions and project logistics with county staff and state administrators.
