Posted on April 23, 2025
The restoration of McCoys Creek with NOAA funds is creating fish habitat and recreational space for community members. It also takes 150 homes out of the flood zone.
NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation doesn’t restore habitat that only benefits fish and other marine species: Our work also supports and protects local communities. One example is an ongoing NOAA-funded initiative to restore a degraded tidal creek in the heart of Jacksonville, Florida, with input from community members.
Whenever heavy rainstorms passed through Jacksonville, local news crews would head to McCoys Creek and wait. They knew the industrialized creek would overflow its banks and flood the neighboring roads and homes. Eventually, a car would approach the flood waters and attempt to drive through. When the driver got stuck, the rescue operation would make the evening newscast.
“This flooding has been a problem for decades, and the city has struggled to find a solution,” says Nikita Reed, Engineering Operations Manager for the City of Jacksonville. “The residents had almost gotten used to living in this state of neglect.” Community members were routinely trapped behind floodwaters, unable to go to work, take their kids to daycare, or get to the grocery store.
Then, in 2018, the local nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville presented the city with a bold plan: completely remake the 2.8-mile McCoys Creek using nature-based solutions. The project would:
- Remove 150 properties from the flood zone
- Restore habitat for species like red drum, Atlantic Sturgeon, and flounder
- Improve water quality
- Create safe, attractive recreational space for community members to fish and play with their kids
We have supported this project with technical assistance and $3 million in funding through the Community-Based Restoration Program and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Project partners have made significant progress restoring the middle and lower parts of the creek. They will soon break ground at the Branches, the creek’s headwaters, with NOAA funds.
This work is part of a larger plan to establish the Emerald Trail, a 30-mile walking and cycling path connecting 14 downtown neighborhoods to multiple parks and greenways.
McCoys Creek flooding.
The Degradation of McCoys Creek
At the turn of the 20th century, McCoys Creek naturally meandered through the growing urban community surrounding it before emptying into the St. Johns River. Marine species like mullet, flounder, and red drum made their way from the Atlantic Ocean to McCoys Creek, attracted by the mixing of fresh and salt water. Fish and other species like blue crabs used the creek for nursery grounds.
In the 1920s, the creek was replaced with straightened ditches and bulkhead canals, destroying fish habitat. Workers filled the surrounding wetlands and floodplain, and the lower part of the river was buried underground in an 850-foot culvert. Ash from the city’s nearby garbage incinerator fell into the creek, contaminating the water. Over time, sediment and other debris clogged the creek’s drainage system. When it rained, the waterway could not disperse excess water onto a floodplain, so it poured into the streets.
Artist’s rendition of park space around the restored McCoys Creek.
Making a Plan with the Community
When Groundwork Jacksonville began planning the McCoys Creek restoration, they reached out to community members to ensure the project design met their needs. “In addition to fixing the flooding issues, one of the community’s main interests was providing a safe, clean space for their children and grandchildren to play in and experience nature,” says John Kiefer, lead environmental engineer for the project. “We heard comments like, ‘My grandchildren have never seen a rabbit in the wild, and I’d love for these next generations to be able to experience what I did as a child.’”
In response, the project team worked with the community to add park space to the design plans. “We took to heart what we heard and then started crafting solutions while continuously getting feedback from the community,” says Kiefer.
Groundwork Jacksonville also engages locals in environmental stewardship programs so they can take leadership roles in project planning. NOAA provides funding for community members to participate.
Excavating floodplain and wetland habitat on McCoys Creek.
Making Progress
In 2024, construction crews finished restoring the middle portion of McCoys Creek. They followed a “fish-forward” design to create productive fish habitat while also alleviating flooding.
“We dealt with flooding by producing a more natural meandering channel and excavating a larger floodplain,” says Kiefer. “We removed hundreds of dump truckloads of refuse and contaminated soils to create a lower lying wetland system. We made this space for nature to spread out the floodwaters and keep it out of the developed landscapes.”
“The flooding completely went away after we were finished.”
The project team designed a variety of fish habitats based on the amount of saltwater present in each part of the creek. They added a series of juvenile rearing areas for marine and estuarine species. These areas align with vegetation and the shoreline so that small fish can enter during hide tide and avoid being eaten by larger fish.
Red drum.
Before the work was complete, curious fish began exploring the creek and attempting to swim upstream. “Some nice schools of red drums tried to swim through dewatered areas and had to be rescued and moved by the construction contractors,” says Kiefer. “The resident bald eagle and osprey have definitely noticed that abundant resources are available to them. We’ve even had manatees explore the site.”
“If you could see what’s been constructed so far, you would be amazed by the transformation of the creek,” says Kay Ehas, CEO of Groundwork Jacksonville. “The first time I saw it my heart leapt.”
Currently, the project partners are working to remove an 850-foot tunnel that buries the lower part of the creek. They will create a 4,000-foot open-air channel, 11 acres of tidal marsh, and 5.5 acres of open water habitat. NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation funded the design of this part of the project.
What’s Next
This summer, contractors will begin restoring the natural function of about a mile of stream in the upper portion of the creek with NOAA funds. Three smaller creeks, the Branches, form the headwaters of McCoys Creek. The Branches suffer from erosion and poor water quality. Contractors will excavate a sinuous channel and floodplain and create:
- 15 acres of creekside habitat
- Roughly 10 acres of wetlands
- 9 acres of forest
- More than 1.7 miles of restored shoreline
Flooding by the Branches.
This will improve fish habitat and water quality and reduce the impact of urban runoff to achieve a more natural streamflow. Better water quality will improve the health of the entire creek.
“The headwater creek restoration greatly reduces the amount of nutrients in the water, producing a healthy bacteria community instead of an unhealthy one,” says Kiefer. Excess nutrients like nitrogen cause algae blooms, reducing the oxygen available to other species. Kiefer estimates that the restored Branches will remove 780 pounds of nitrogen from the creek each year.
Throughout the project, NOAA marine habitat resource specialists Kris Kaufman, Julia Royster, and Alejandra Mickle-Arce have advised Groundwork Jacksonville about funding opportunities and other technical aspects of the work.
“We love NOAA, and NOAA loves us,” says Ehas. “It’s an incredible relationship because NOAA really appreciates our vision for the project.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Kay Ehas and Groundwork Jacksonville for more than 5 years and it’s been inspiring to watch their mission become reality,” says Kris Kaufman. “Kay’s determination and ability to build coalitions has resulted in tackling seemingly impossible challenges with outcomes that benefit both people and fisheries.”
In addition to the McCoys Creek project, NOAA is funding the planning and design work to restore nearby Hogans Creek. The Office of Habitat Conservation awarded Groundwork Jacksonville about $3 million for this effort.
Additional project partners include:
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- City of Jacksonville
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- St. Johns River Water Management District
- North Riverside Community Development Corporation
- North Florida Land Trust
- Brooklyn Neighborhood Association
- Florida Department of Transportation
- St. Johns Riverkeeper
- Rail Yard District Business Council
