News

Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber and Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney (and Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps member) were back in Craven County this week, putting the finishing touch on a greenhouse-watering cistern.

The two installed a passive drawdown device on a rainwater harvesting cistern at West Craven High School, part of Sound Rivers’ Campus Stormwater Program.

“With this device, the West Craven High School students can now use the cistern to water plants in and around the greenhouse,” Sierra said.

That’s a bonus for West Craven High School, as the plants raised in the greenhouse are the focus of one of the school’s biggest fundraisers every year: a plant sale.

The cistern project was partially funded by a $5,000 grant from the Harold Bate Foundation, and for the past several years, Clay has been working with William Shaw, WCHS’ Future Farmers of America advisor and agricultural educator, on the project.

On Tuesday, Clay and Sierra first had to empty the tank of the water it had collected from the building’s rooftop. Using blueprints from Mitch Woodward, a water-quality specialist with North Carolina State University Extension, they drilled a hole in the side of the tank and connected the device.

“Now that I know how to do it, I plan on pre-making more of these devices to attach to more cisterns in the future,” Sierra said.

Through the end of the year, Clay and Sierra are working on multiple Campus Stormwater Program projects. Check back to find out what — and where — they are!

Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps is a service program of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, funded by a grant through the North Carolina Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism.

Like the stormwater work Sound Rivers is doing on campuses across the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds? So do we! Donate to support the Campus Stormwater Program today!