News

A Riverkeeper is never off the clock.

This week, Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop was on her way home from the Raleigh office when she spotted clear violations of sediment and erosion control regulations.

“On my way home, I noticed some severe sediment runoff from two large construction sites on Cox Avenue and what used to be Flint Street,” Samantha said. “One site is under development by the YMCA, and the other looks to be under private construction for student housing, and is much farther along in the construction process.”

Dirty water was flowing off both sites into a storm drain that flows in an unnamed tributary of Rocky Branch.

“This tributary flows through Pullen Park, a well-loved gem in Raleigh’s parks and outdoor scene. This tributary is an important part of the Rocky Branch watershed, which is part of the impaired and heavily invested in Walnut Creek watershed,” Samantha said.

She took photos of what she witnessed and sent a report to the City of Raleigh.

“This is a stark example of how we do not do enough to hold construction sites accountable to sediment runoff,” Samantha said. “I looked at the rain history for Raleigh, and it looks like we’d had a half inch over the previous couple of days. We really should not be seeing this significant pollution of our waterways with a routine rain event.”

Samantha, who hosted a Muddy Water Watch training with Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman and Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register, said this situation speaks to the purpose behind the trainings: teaching people how to spot and report sediment pollution. If you see something along these lines, you can report it to the City of Raleigh here!

Violations of the state’s Sedimentation Pollution Control Act can result in a fine of up to $5,000 per day.

The City of Raleigh indicated it would be sending staff out to investigate.

Like the work your Riverkeeper is doing to protect the Neuse River and its many urban tributaries? We certainly do. Donate today to support her work!