RALEIGH — An environmental consulting firm helping to develop a water-quality improvement plan for Lincoln and Gaston County waterways will begin its examination Jan. 16 of streams in the Indian Creek and Howard’s Creek watershed.
The firm, ENTRIX Inc., will perform the study under a contract with the N.C. Ecosystem Enhancement Program. Entrix personnel will walk in and along streams and wetlands to identify eroding streambanks and other pollution sources as well, as to assess the quality of habitat for fish and other aquatic life in streams. Work on the project is expected to conclude in late spring.
Other streams in the Indian Creek and Howard’s Creek watershed include Leonard Creek, Lick Fork, Little Creek, Little Indian Creek, Mill Creek, Rockdam Creek and Tanyard Creek.
Data accumulated during the project will help determine what actions may be needed to restore the health of the waterways. EEP will develop a final restoration plan for the watershed in late 2009. The N.C. Division of Water Quality designates Indian Creek as an impaired waterway.
EEP, housed in the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is an initiative established to provide high-quality, cost-effective projects for watershed improvement and protection. EEP produces detailed watershed-planning, preservation and restoration efforts within North Carolina's threatened or degraded watersheds.
More information about the Indian Creek and Howard’s Creek watershed plan is available by contacting Mike Herrmann with EEP at (919) 715-5458.
Jan. 9, 2009