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Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop is partnering with members of the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association to keep tabs on turbidity on the Durham waterway.

The group met up on the banks of Ellerbe Creek this week to go over the plan to conduct monthly water sampling at several locations, from its headwaters through several creekside parks in north Durham. The volunteers in the project are all water-quality experts who serve on ECWA’s Water Quality Committee.

“Together, we’ll keep tabs on the creek’s turbidity levels to see if they rise to alarming exceedances like they did at the beginning of this year when muddy water from sediment ponds on the Shoccoree Residential development site were released over the course of weeks into the creek,” Sam said, adding that Durham County had issued any Notices of Violation or requests for corrective action regarding the extremely elevated levels of sediment earlier this year.

Sam said the samples they took on Tuesday were very clear — typical for the waterway, according to the ECWA volunteers.

“That said, it’s been a very dry period. Moving forward, we will work together to keep tabs on the turbidity of the creek and to report issues to responsible county authorities,” she said.