News

Stormwater team gets into repair business

Education, Environmental, Neuse River Watershed, Sound Rivers, Stormwater Issues, Stormwater Restoration Projects

Posted on March 13th, 2025

Program Director Clay Barber looks on as the West Craven Middle School rainwater harvesting cistern is emptied.

Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney (Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps member) was out in the field last week, making sure stormwater projects were working for clean water.

On March 3, she visited Havelock High School where a recently installed underground rainwater harvesting cistern needed some pump repair — the water was not flowing from the cistern to the spigot in the school’s greenhouse. Two check valves and a pipe adjustment by installers Rainwater Solutions later, the problem had not been resolved, which required another visit on March 11.

The intake of the underground rainwater harvesting cistern at Havelock High School.

“This time, Rainstorm moved the pump closer to the tank,” Sierra said. “They believe the distance from the cistern to the pump is what was causing the issue. The system was tested and the pressure was maintained with water flowing as it should. A great success!”

At West Craven Middle School, Sierra tackled a leak from the passive drawdown device on an above-the-ground rainwater harvesting cistern.

“When the device was first installed, the hole we made was slightly too large, but we thought the seal would hold. It ultimately did not,” Sierra said.

Pipe adjustment on the underground rainwater harvesting cistern at Havelock High School.

On March 7, Sierra made the fix with a seal replacement, plumbers’ tape and a sealant.

“(Program Director Clay Barber) and I will be back at West Craven Middle School soon to install an external pump, and we’ll be checking that this issue is resolved,” she said.

These projects are part of Sound Rivers’ Campus Stormwater Program which assesses stormwater issues, creates a plan and installs green stormwater infrastructure projects, such as rain gardens and constructed wetlands, on school campuses across the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico. More than 39 installations have been completed, which treat and filter more than 15 million gallons of stormwater per year.

Resilience Corps NC AmeriCorps is a service program of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, funded by a grant through the North Carolina Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism.

Like Sound Rivers’ Campus Stormwater Program? We do, too! Donate today to support this program!

Related News

Lick Creek sampling continues March 13th 2025
Sound Rivers Highlight: AmeriCorps Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney March 13th 2025
Stormwater team gets into repair business March 13th 2025
NC Riverkeepers gather for spring meeting March 13th 2025
Trash trap gets 33 pounds lighter March 13th 2025
Crowd turns up for New Bern land-use ordinance workshop March 6th 2025