Proctor Creek is an urban waterway whose watershed begins in downtown Atlanta, GA, and the creek empties into the Chattahoochee River. Many of the headwater streams that once flowed into Proctor Creek were piped or buried long ago, and the upper watershed overlaps with the City of Atlanta’s combined sewer area. Proctor’s upper watershed is highly impervious, resulting in large volumes of stormwater runoff when it rains. In addition to posing as the biggest threat to water quality and habitat in Proctor Creek, stormwater in the watershed puts a strain on the combined sewer infrastructure, and often floods streets and homes.

The Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park (formerly, Boone Park West) project, a collaborative effort between Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Park Pride and The Conservation Fund, will utilize green infrastructure to address area stormwater impacts and replenish groundwater and while establishing a safe place for children to play and residents to gather. Through a collaboration of community residents and partner organizations, this project will reclaim and restore long-neglected urban properties in the upper Proctor Creek watershed into a vibrant public park that will serve multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits.