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Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and Sound Rivers’ Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz met up with Kinston Public Works staff this week to do some official scouting for the next trash trap installation. The trap is part of Sound Rivers’ Litter-Free Rivers program (formally called the Trash Trout program) that’s already seen three litter-catching devices installed on Jack’s Creek in Washington, Duffyfield Canal in New Bern and Little Rock Creek in Raleigh.

Sam and Emily teamed up with Kinston’s Public Works director and staff to get a unique tour of Kinston, one that not too many people see.

“It was a stormwater drainage tour of Kinston. We got to see the city from the perspective of where the stormwater goes,” Sam said.

The group visited five sites in the city, discussing the viability of each site — where the water runs and where the trash is — and ultimately agreed that Adkin Branch, near the Holloway Recreation Center, is the best option. Sam is already familiar with the location, as that’s where she and students in the Principles of Biology class at Lenoir Community College have been taking water samples and testing those samples for bacteria.

The next step is presenting the trash trap project to the Kinston City Council, with the full support of the city’s Public Works department.

“They’re really excited about it,” Sam said. “They said they see a future of having a lot of these, which is really cool.”

Mother Earth Brewing in Kinston will be the newest trash trap’s main sponsor.