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This project won the 2003 Grand Award for Water Resources by the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina In 1996, the Washington City Council adopted a plan named the "Riverside Renaissance Project" for downtown revitalization. The project was to include bulkhead and waterfront improvements, realignment of Stewart Parkway, streetscape improvements, and control of development along the waterfront. As the City moved forward looking at preliminary design options and exploring financing options, it was determined that any improvements to the waterfront should include treating stormwater runoff from the downtown area. At the time, runoff from 96 acres of the downtown area was discharged directly into the Pamlico River through seven different pipes. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) invited the City to apply for funding to convert an area of City-owned property along the waterfront into a stormwater wetland to treat runoff from the "first-flush." It was determined that constructing a wetland on an old sawmill site and constructing a "first-flush" bypass line were feasible. The City then received a $4.1 million grant from the CWMTF in September 1999 to support the project, with treatment of stormwater runoff in a created wetland being the main focus. The project was completed in 2002.