News

Thursday, Sound Rivers’ staff met with Havelock officials to discuss next steps in getting to the bottom of Slocum Creek pollution.

Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and Water-Quality Specialist Taylor Register traveled to Havelock to sit down with Havelock Mayor Will Lewis, City Manager Chris McGee and Public Works Director Patrick Lee to discuss water quality at the town’s only public boating access area.

“It was a good meeting and the city is committed to working with us on transparent communication,” Sam said. “It sounds like they’re doing a lot to resolve their sewer infrastructure issues and are keeping with the Special Order of Consent timeline.”

The Town of Havelock has been operating under an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to complete repairs to what was an ongoing problem with sewage spills. But that may be a different issue than the one behind continuing elevated levels of E. coli in Slocum Creek.

“This very well could be a septic issue, so we’re going to get in touch with the county about potential septic-field issues upstream,” Sam said. “The first DNA round indicated the source is human, and we’re going to continue our sampling — not just Swim Guide sampling, but upstream, to try to find out where it’s coming from.”

Sam said Havelock officials are considering hosting a listening session in the fall to get feedback from town residents about the issue.