ECWA’s educational work with high school students at the Durham Public School’s new Performance Learning Center (dplc.dpsnc.net), currently in the basement of Northgate Mall, began in April. On Tuesday, April 15th, nine students and their science teacher, Chris Ristoff, piled into Frank Ferrell’s (9th St. Bakery) bio diesel bus for a tour of the watershed. After introductions from Larry Brockman about the watershed and Q & A with Frank about the bio diesel bus and bio-fuels, the tour got underway with an impromptu rap from the "boys in the back"...[read more about it]

-- Kim Curtis

This year, ECWA is joining our neighbors in East Durham to clean up Goose Creek, a tributary of Ellerbe Creek. We will meet at 9:00 at the East End Park which is located on the right if you're heading north on N. Alston Avenue from Holloway Street. All volunteers will be furnished with work gloves, trash bags and refreshments. The city will pick up the what ever we find! After the clean-up, head over the Durham Earth Day Festival and stop by the ECWA booth and say hello!

To volunteer or for more information, please call or e-mail Laura Webb-Smith laura.smith@durhamnc.gov or call her at 560-4326, ex. 235.

-- Joanne Abel

Just wanted to let everyone know that we had a terrific turnout at the Coffee with Council meeting on Monday, March 10. We are fairly sure that we accomplished our mission of getting definite City Council backing for the extension of the West Ellerbee Creek Trail. Much thanks to all who took the time to show their support. We had over 80 supporters in the room and more than 60 of us walked in at the same time right at 7:15 PM.

Steve Cohn, who was in the room before the large group came in, said, "They just kept on filing in until two whole walls of the large cafeteria were lined with supporters."

At the end of the meeting Steve heard clear expressions of support for the trail extension from four of the seven Council members. We are attempting to get that confirmed in writing.

We hope to get those commitments made clearly. However, we do hope to put further pressure on the council members who don't commitment as we feel it's going to be important to have even more support when the cost of the actual construction is requested in the future.

We will keep you posted on next steps over the next couple months leading up to the final city council budget decision in June.

-- Steve Cohn, Watts-Hospital Neighborhood Association and ECWA Board Member
    Dan Clever, Durham Open Space and Trails Committee, Chair
    Larry Brockman, ECWA, Board Member

Every year Ellerbe Creek is stressed by the extreme high and low water levels that are largely the result of runoff from streets, driveways, and other impervious surfaces in the watershed. To improve these conditions, we need to learn more about stormwater flows in Durham, particularly about how different combinations of impervious surface, lawns, and forests affect that flow, given Durham’s clay-rich soils. This type of information is necessary in order to design effective stormwater management projects.

To provide this information, ECWA has established two volunteer flow-monitoring stations on two small tributaries that drain relatively small but geographically diverse areas (sub-basins) within the watershed. Comparing differences in how the two small tributaries respond to storms will help us create more effective stream management projects and practices.

For more information on monitoring water quality, the role our stations will play in this process and the data we are collecting, please see this page.

-- Kathi Beratan

Join ECWA and Frog Hollow Outdoors for the 2008 National River Clean Up Week on June 8, 2008 from 2 to 4:30. We will clean up Ellerbe Creek near the Falls Lake.

Register by sending a e-mail to info@froghollowoutdoors.com

Include your name,number in your party, a phone number where you can be reached, and if you are bring your own boat or will be using one of Frog Hollow's.

ECWA thanks the folks at Frog Hollow for providing boats and helping to organize this event.

-- Joanne Abel

Hold the date! The 4th Annual Beaver Queen Pageant will be held on Saturday, June 7th with all proceeds going to the Ellerbe Creek Watershed (and Beaver Habitat Protection) Association.

The theme this year will be HAIR, and the Summer of Love. Folks may want to dress in keeping with the theme.

ECWA will need volunteers to help the day of the event (probably starting around 4:30), so if you want to help out please contact: Joanne Abel at jabel@nc.rr.com

Could we have an ECWA Beaver Queen among us? Would you like to compete for the crown! If you are interested in trying out contact the Beaver Lodge Local 1405 at beaverlodgelocal1504@gmail.com

-- Joanne Abel

2007 has been a busy year for ECWA. A report of ECWA 2007 Accomplishments was produced for and presented at the ECWA Annual Meeting held on November 4th.

If you missed the annual meeting or simply want to see all the things ECWA has done this year, you can download and view this Adobe (c) PDF file.

-- Larry Brockman

ECWA would like to recognize the following businesses for their commitment to protecting Ellerbe Creek and making our watershed a wonderful place to live and work.

Please join us in saying "Thank you!" by patronizing these businesses at every opportunity!

Click here to view all ECWA business sponsors.

If you would like to become an ECWA Business Sponsor please contact Diana Tetens, ECWA Executive Director at P.O. Box 2679 Durham, NC 27705-2679 or (919) 698-8161. Thank you.

On December 12, 2007 the City of Durham Stormwater Services Division launched an effort aimed at studying ways to revitalize the health of Ellerbe Creek and its surrounding area.

The analysis will help the City prioritize and implement watershed improvement projects aimed at cleaning up and revitalizing the Ellerbe Creek watershed. The goals of the proposed project are to revitalize the health of Ellerbe Creek and to comply with water quality regulations.

The project is scheduled to begin this month with field crews assessing streams and stormwater devices. The field evaluation and assessment activities are expected to continue until February, 2008. After the field work is completed, a list of prioritized potential watershed improvement projects will be developed. An updated Watershed Plan will be presented in May 2009.

Click HERE to see the City of Durham News Release. You can also view additonal information about the project by visiting the City of Durham web page for this project.

Land for Tomorrow (LFT) is a diverse partnership of North Carolina businesses, conservationists, farmers, environmental groups, health professionals and community groups committed to securing support from the public and General Assembly for protecting land, water and historic places.

You can now make a secure donation to ECWA or renew your ECWA membership online. ECWA uses the services of "Network for Good" to process online donations and memberships. It's quick, it's safe, and it's as simple as 1, 2, 3.
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2) Click on the "Donate Now" button and record the amount of your donation. If you are renewing your membership, remember to put "Membership Renewal" in the box labelled "Designation". Click the "Continue" button when you have completed this page.

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