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Last week’s Water Watch training in Durham hit another monitoring milestone: more than 100 sites covered throughout the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds.

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“It was a great training,” said Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop. “Durham-ites really came out in force and showed they care a lot about their waterways. In the end, we had, I believe, 18 people sign up on the spot to monitor sites, and others asking us to give them a site once we figure out what areas aren’t covered.”

Held at the The Burrow/La Madriguera in Durham, the Water Watch training drew a crowd of 35 people.

“I was blown away by how many people came out in Durham,” said Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz. “I think a lot of them had worked with Sound Rivers or knew of Sound Rivers through our sediment investigations, but I’m incredibly grateful they showed up and helped us hit our landmark of more than 100 sites.”

“It was a delightful mix of folks from across the community, both young and old,” Samantha said. “People heard about through our eNews, the Eno River Association, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association and Preserve Rural Durham and more. The word really got around to folks in the community.”

As with every Water Watch training, Samantha tweaked the presentation to give greater focus to issues affecting waterways in the area.

“In Durham, that was sewer spills and sediment — what sediment looks like and why it’s problematic,” she said.

The Riverkeeping team has worked its way up the watersheds, hosting the first Water Watch trainings in Oriental and Blounts Creek in April of 2025. Since, trainings have been held in New Bern, Washington, Greenville, Kinston, Goldsboro, Tarboro and Durham. A Rocky Mount training has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 17, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Braswell Memorial Library. Sign up for the Rocky Mount training here!

The Riverkeeping team is currently creating a series of videos to offer virtual Water Watch trainings, in addition to building a more detailed sampling protocol.

“We’re going to roll out the Tier 2 sampling protocol, which will be an opportunity for those who are looking to do more scientific observation, such as pH and turbidity,” Samantha said.

Like how the Riverkeeping team is building an army of volunteers to keep an eye on your waterways? We do! Donate today to support Water Watch!