News

A paddle tour on an impaired creek scheduled for sunset Thursday was canceled due to high water and high bacteria.

“We had to make the difficult decision to postpone our Slocum Creek paddle due to potential flooding and bacteria concerns,” said Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register. “(Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop) and I were really looking forward to sharing one of our favorite recreation spots with the community, but safety is our No.1 priority and we did not want to put anyone at risk.”

Slocum Creek, a Neuse River tributary in Havelock, has suffered from ongoing bacteria pollution for the last three years. Brought to the attention of Sound Rivers by consistently failing to meet recreational water-quality testing during Swim Guide’s weekly testing, DNA testing determined the source of bacteria was human. Further investigation narrowed the location of origin as Wolf Pit Branch, a small tributary of Slocum Creek, and outdated septic systems in a neighboring community. Craven County Health Department recently issued a notice of violation to the owner of one of those properties.

Continuing contamination, and heavy rainfall potentially washing more bacteria into the creek, prompted the Riverkeeping team from moving forward with the paddle.

“On Monday, I went out and sampled the creek to check on the bacteria levels before we had anyone on the water,” Taylor said. “As expected, it came back pretty dirty but definitely not the worst we’ve seen this summer. While our staff is used to being in contaminated water and all of the precautions that come with it — wearing gloves, copious amounts of hand sanitizer, covering up any scrapes or cuts — we recognize that we could potentially be putting others at risk by getting them out on the water. Even though bacteria levels weren’t off the charts, that combined with the really high water levels in the creek was just too much uncertainty for us to justify the event.”

Taylor said the team is brainstorming other ways to get people together at Slocum Creek, such as a meet-and-greet at the boat ramp to share Sound Rivers’ work on the issue.

“We are still hoping to get another paddle scheduled, but for that to happen we will have to pay close attention to water levels and sample frequently for bacteria leading up to the event,” Taylor said. “Regardless of which route we take, we are excited to be getting the community more engaged in our work out in Slocum Creek and showing them why it’s such an important resource for us to preserve.” 

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