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Water Quality Specialist Taylor Seijo was back on Slocum Creek this week for a 10th round of sampling.

“We’re in the double digits now, which means this yearlong sampling commitment is nearing the finish line,” Taylor said. “With the field portion of the grant close to wrapping up, that also means we’re starting work on the next phases.”

The routine sampling of Slocum Creek began in early 2026, courtesy of a North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant and a partnership with the University of North Carolina’s Institute of Marine Sciences. The goal is to get to the bottom of ongoing bacteria pollution in the Neuse River tributary that flows through Havelock.

“With the field portion of the grant close to wrapping up, that also means we’re starting work on the next phases: modeling our data, more regular meetings with the project team and getting all the layers and information we need to get started on a GIS map of the project area,” Taylor said.

Since sampling began in January, Taylor has now experienced all four seasons on Slocum Creek.

“It’s finally starting to look and feel like fall here in eastern North Carolina, which makes for some perfect field days,” she said. “Lucky for me, I had to collect some additional discretionary samples today, so that meant I got to spend an extra hour on the water.”

In addition to encountering the changing seasons, Taylor has had plenty of wildlife encounters on her Slocum Creek sampling runs. On Wednesday, sightings included a juvenile great blue heron, an eastern box turtle attempting to cross the railroad tracks and a decent-sized American alligator sunning itself on the bank.

“The alligator gave me a bit of a scare this morning — I was so focused on reading my YSI meter that I drifted right next to the bank where it was laying,” Taylor said. “When I looked up, I was probably a foot away from it, so I quickly paddled backwards and snagged a pic once I was a reasonable distance away.”

Like the work (and the wildlife encounters) Taylor is doing to hunt down the source(s) of Slocum Creek pollution? We do! Donate today to support a pollution-free Slocum Creek!