by Leah Justice
leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

Drivers along Hwy. 108 through the Lynn community may have noticed a drastic difference in the Pacolet River this week.

The project has been ongoing since late October and can be seen from the Lynn bridge.

The project was funded by both federal and state money, including 75 percent from the federal Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) and 25 percent through the N.C. Department of Water Resources (DWR).

Polk Soil and Water sponsored DWR grant, which provided funds for the design and permitting portions of the project. NRCS provided the funding for the construction and oversight of the construction.

The total approximated cost of the project was $195,000, according to Polk Soil and Water Director Sandra Reid.

Polk Soil and Water worked with the one property owner adjacent to the river to accomplish the stream bank restoration.

The project was finalized earlier this week.

The restoration included clearing out and restoring the banks along approximately 1,325 linear feet of the stream bank.

The soil and water department has overseen a few stream bank restorations of the Pacolet River over the past few years. Reid said another project has recently been approved in the Morgan Chapel area of the county. Polk Soil and Water sponsored another stream bank restoration in recent years in the Morgan Chapel and Hunting Country area involving several property owners.