Action
CreekWatchers Program
The CreekWatchers Program
is a community science initiative that was established to protect the Cape Fear River and its tributaries through regular inspection and monitoring by volunteers. Specifically, through this program, we aim to quickly identify and address any acute water quality issues in New Hanover and Brunswick counties, and to provide the public with pertinent information about the quality of recreational waterways. The main duty of a CreekWatcher is to promptly identify and report threats and impacts to the health of the watershed and surrounding ecosystems. By volunteering to be a CreekWatcher, you will become the eyes and ears of the creeks; helping to make a difference in the water quality of our area.
We provide CreekWatchers with monitoring observation forms, water sampling equipment, and a CreekWatcher manual. We review the completed monitoring forms and pass along relevant information to the appropriate authorities or investigate further as needed. CreekWatchers are not policing their areas, but they should alert us to any suspicious activities. CreekWatchers also perform a small cleanup at their site each month. They use the water sampling equipment to take a small water sample, which they drop off at the CFRW office directly following collection. CFRW staff tests those samples for E. coli and Enterococci.
Let us know if you are interested in adopting a creek! We are always happy to have more CreekWatchers.
Internships: If you are interested in a Water Quality Monitoring internship, please send an email to Rob@cfrw.us.
More ACTION items
CreekWatchers Responsibilities
1) Attend a training session
2) Adopt a creek
3) Monitor the creek and collect water samples once per month
If you would like to get involved please email the CreekWatcher Program Coordinator Rob Clark at Rob@cfrw.us.
Interactive map of Cape Fear River Watch CreekWatcher monitoring locations and the name of the current CreekWatcher. If you see any locations without a name, that means that we are currently seeking a CreekWatcher for that location, so let us know if you’re interested! The colored regions represent Wilmington’s sub-watersheds. Click on an area to find out which watershed it is.
Understanding this graphic
These are all of our Wilmington-based CreekWatcher sites. Sites in grey were not tested for E. coli in the month shown.
The watersheds in shades of orange and yellow are freshwater, so they are tested for E. coli. The EPA threshold for E. coli is 235 MPN/100mL. Sites that are highlighted in red exceed the EPA threshold for freshwater of 235 MPN/100mL. That means that there are more than 235 bacteria colonies were found in a 100mL sample (about half a cup of water). Sites in green pass safety standards!
The watersheds in shades of green have high levels of salinity, and so they are tested for enterococci bacteria. The EPA threshold for Enterococci is 104 MPN/100mL. Sites highlighted in red exceed that standard.
Want to Support CreekWatchers?
We would love to be able to collect as much data as possible about the status of our urban streams, but cost is a limiting factor. Each sample that we test for E. coli costs about $7! Testing our saltwater sites for Enterococci costs even more. Please consider contributing to this program!
Receive our CreekWatchers Newsletter!
Each month we send out a CreekWatchers newsletter where we share the results from the month before, welcome new members, spread tidbits of water quality-related knowledge, and share fun photos. Sign up now if you’d like to receive it!
Current Creekwatchers
Click the button to access your Monitoring and Photo Form. When the file opens, click the icon in the top right that shows a downward facing arrow (next to the 3 dots)to download the forms to your computer.
Cape Fear River Watch | 617 Surry Street | Wilmington, NC 28401 | Phone: 910.762.5606
