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On Wednesday morning, Sound Rivers Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register experienced a chilly day in the field collecting water samples in Adkin Branch. The creek runs through the heart of Kinston and has been the target of a year-round sampling effort under a grant project titled “Kinston Clean Creeks.”

Funded by a Center for Human Health and Environment mini-grant, Sound Rivers and Lenoir Community College’s science department have collaborated on the project that simultaneously supports student engagement and education while also documenting pollution impacts to the creek and how those impacts may impact the community.

With the grant project winding down, Taylor was collecting the last round of water samples. The samples are analyzed for bacteria, including DNA source tracking, nutrients and physical parameters that include data such as stream temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity. Later this week, Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop will be meeting with students to clean out the trash trap located on Adkin Branch and train them on water sampling techniques. Taylor said both she and Sam have had a lot of fun working on this grant.

“The student groups we’ve hosted have always been super engaged and have lots of great questions, and I always enjoy having a reason to get out in the field and collect samples,” she said.

Once the results come back from the lab, the project team will compile findings that will demonstrate water quality conditions in the creek over four seasons. While this project is winding down, Taylor noted the work in Kinston is really just getting started.

“I think having this data will be really helpful for us in the future, as we’re hoping to get funding to do more work in source tracking for Adkin Branch,” she said. “It’s such a cool little creek, and we’d love to put more work into addressing pollution issues so the community can safely enjoy it.”

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