A created wetland was built on ECU’s campus in 2014 in an effort to reduce the stormwater pollution from parking lots

Polluted stormwater runoff, including sediment from poorly maintained construction sites, is the number one reason for poor water quality in North Carolina. Your Sound Rivers staff have been hard at work to build local partners in an effort to curb our growing stormwater pollution problem. Sediment can cause severe problems for creeks, rivers and estuaries we depend on for our drinking water, recreation, wildlife habitat and fishing. Stormwater is one of the main causes of pollution in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico Rivers.

In 2017 Sound Rivers staff will work with six community colleges and the Beaufort County Schools to assess campuses’ stormwater needs, and develop a plan of action to address pollution issues. The projects are supported by the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuarine Partnership and the North Carolina Division of Water Resources. We will partner with NC State University and the Mid-East Council of Governments to complete this work during 2017. Sound Rivers’ staff has also developed relationships with 12 additional colleges and community colleges and have applied for funds to plan and build practices that will clean our area’s water resources.

Our staff is very excited to have such a large number of invested partners who all understand the importance of stormwater and the impacts to our waterways. If you are interested in learning more about our college campus stormwater initiative, Landscaping for Clean Water, visit our website: www.soundrivers.org/restoration. Have questions? Contact Matt matt@soundrivers.org.