Two years in, the Park-Mercer Wetland Project has reshaped a scarred floodplain to clean waterflow moving downstream from downtown Wilson. North Carolina State University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering designed the project, which pumps water out of a tributary of Hominy Swamp and allows gravity to move it through a channel with five deep ponds.

Pond at the corner of Banks and Mercer Streets. As I approached, a muffled plink revealed a frog diving underwater.

When this project began, large signboards onsite educated the community about the wetland’s function and purpose. I hope permanent replacements are in the works.

Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, September 2026.