Dye Branch facts for kids
Dye Branch is a small creek in Durham, North Carolina. It starts near Duke University and flows for about three miles (5 km). The creek goes through several neighborhoods like Trinity Heights, Walltown, and Old West Durham. It is also known as South Ellerbe Creek. Eventually, Dye Branch joins Ellerbe Creek in a small wooded area.
Some parts of Dye Branch are very pretty, flowing quietly over rocks. But in other areas, the creek has faced many problems. It has a history of pollution and damage. Luckily, groups in the community are now working to protect it. They want to make sure the creek stays healthy for the future.
How Dye Branch Changed Over Time
Long ago, before Europeans arrived, Dye Branch probably wound its way through forests in what is now Durham. It was a natural home for plants and animals. The native Eno and Occoneechi tribes lived here. They cleared some land for farming and burned parts of the forest. These changes might have affected the creek a little, but probably not much overall.
When Europeans settled the area, they changed the land a lot more. By the 1700s, small family farms replaced many forests in North Carolina. Wood became very valuable. Creeks like Ellerbe Creek were even dammed to power new mills.
Tobacco became a very important crop. This changed small farms into bigger businesses. The soil around Dye Branch was not great for large tobacco farms. So, the creek itself was not changed much by these big farms. However, its location was important. It was in an area where early towns started to grow, which led to the city of Durham.
By the 1880s, local business owners made a lot of money from tobacco products. The Duke family built a huge textile factory called the Erwin Mill in 1893. This factory was a big turning point for Dye Branch and for Durham.
The Erwin Mill and the village built around it caused big problems for Dye Branch. For about 90 years, the mill poured chemical dyes into the small creek. As the area grew, the creek also lost its natural curves. By the 1950s, when North Carolina’s I-85 was built, water running off city streets and paved areas also started to pollute the creek.
Erwin Mills closed in 1986. Soon after, the Durham Freeway was finished. It cut through areas like the old Erwin Park. Most of the mill buildings were torn down. New office buildings and homes were built where the mill once stood. The way people used Dye Branch changed again. The mill used it for waste, but now the creek faced problems common to all urban streams.
What Problems Does Dye Branch Face?
As Dye Branch flows through Old West Durham, it passes many businesses. These include auto shops, large parking lots, and a plumbing shop. There is also a chemical storage facility and an old gas station nearby. Many of these places have water running directly into the creek. Storm drains in the area also lead right into the creek. You can often see these drains near Hillsborough and Anderson streets.
In the Walltown neighborhood, the creek has cut deep into the soil. This has caused damage to properties and can be dangerous for people living nearby.
There is also a large "dye pond" near the creek, surrounded by a fence. This pond is left over from the Erwin textile mill. Water from the mill used to flow into the neighborhood. People say the area often smelled like a big laundry room because of the warm, soapy water.
The creek also flows under large parking lots at Northgate Mall. It runs along the northern edge of Interstate-85. When this highway is made wider, it will affect the creek and the land around it even more.
All these sources of pollution can leave harmful stuff in the water. They can also cause chemicals to soak into the soil and the creek bed.
Where Dye Branch meets Ellerbe Creek, it looks peaceful. It's easy to forget the creek's difficult past. Only a few parts of the creek are still natural. Luckily, Dye Branch is protected by Durham's Resource Protection Ordinance. This means any new building projects near the creek will need stronger rules to protect it.
