Beargrass Creek

Beargrass Creek is the name given to several forks of a creek in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The Beargrass Creek watershed is the largest in the county, draining over 60 square miles.

As the forks wind through the area that has become Louisville's East End, they have contributed to the geography that has shaped the area. The three forks drain about 70 square miles (181 km²) of land, and occasionally flood.

The three main branches are the South, Middle and Muddy Forks. They separate in the headwaters just east of Downtown Louisville. The South Fork runs through Butchertown to west of Tyler Park, through the Poplar Level area (where the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve is located) and eventually runs into Fern Creek. Eleven Jones Cave is located along this fork. It originally ran through downtown, but was rerouted in the 1850s.

The middle fork has two branches, called Weicher Creek and the Sinking Fork. Weicher Creek flows from the Hurstborne Area, and the Sinking Fork has its headweaters near Anchorage, Kentucky. They join in St. Matthews and flow through Cherokee Park until it meets the South Fork near the Bourbon Stockyards. The Muddy Fork rises at a stone springhouse in Windy Hill and runs parallel to the Ohio River and was rerouted during the construction of Interstate 71.

Beargrass Creek Protected From Dangerous Realignment Proposal

Poe Companies chooses to not compromise for the health of the stream and community.

The Poe Companies has dropped a proposal to construct a mix use commercial development along Lexington Road near Payne Street in Louisville following opposition from the Irish Hills Neighborhood Association and the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. Poe's proposal would have buried and relocated 1400 linear feet of one of the last remaining natural meanders in the Middle Fork of Beargrass Creek and straightened the stream's reach to 1000 linear feet along the back edge of the property. Poe refused additional mitigation opportunities despite the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources concerns:

a) mitigation should be provided to an extent that there be no net stream loss;

b) mitigation should provide a riparian corridor of 100' on both sides of the creek; and

c) the mitigation plan should include success criteria based on water quality and stream habitat with contingency plans.

KWA retained Dr. Art Parola, Director of the Stream Institute at the University of Louisville's Speed School of Engineering, to perform a technical review of Poe's Army Corps of Engineers 404 permit application. Dr. Parola's review revealed significant design and engineering flaws with Poe's proposal.

KWA submitted comments in opposition to Poe's proposal along with the Irish Hills Neighborhood Association, Clifton Community Council, Original Highlands Neighborhood Association, Phoenix Hill Association, Belknap Neighborhood, Heather Hills Subdivision, Kentucky Resource Council, Center for Neighborhoods, and 12 concerned residents.

Most recently, MSD's flood-plain board approved a variance allowing relocation of the stream, but the Irish Hill Neighborhood Association appealed in circuit court, and a judge directed MSD to give more justification for the variance.

KWA congratulates IHNA for successfully defending the safety of their neighborhood and promoting the appropriate reclamation and revitalization of Beargrass Creek. 

For more information contact Jason Flickner.