The Haw River Assembly monitors pollution in the Haw River and it’s tributaries to track sources of multiple types of water quality issues, including industrial contaminants, E.coli, microplastics, nutrients, sediments and biological parameters. See below for our cumulative data. (It may take our program a moment to load, please give it time to think.) 🙂
Metadata (information that explains the data)
Values of 111111 indicate the measured value of the given parameter was below the detection limit.
Values of 999999 indicate the measured value of the given parameter was above the detection limit.
This is most common with our E.coli measurements, which is detected between 1 MPN and 2419.6 MPN.
Station Name is usually listed as the water body then an identifying characteristic such as a road or park.
Units for the Parameters
- E.coli – MPN
- Water Temperature – Celsius
- Air Temperature – Celsius
- DO – either as a percentage or mg/L
- Conductivity – µS/cm
- Specific Conductance – µS/cm
- pH – unitless
- Macroinvertebrate Index – unitless
- Turbidity – NTU
- 1,4 Dioxane – ug/L
- Fecal – CFU/100 mL
- TKN – mg/L
- TN – mg/L
- NH3-N – mg/L
- Ortho-p – mg/L
- TP – mg/L
We are continuing to work to make sure location information is attached to each site. We are also hoping to add our PFAS and our Trash Trap data soon.
More Information about our Programs and Projects
The Muddy Water project is anything related to sediment and erosion control issues, usually these sites are sampling upstream and downstream of construction to identify water quality violations. Sediment is the number one pollutant in North Carolina, keep reading below to see why it matters. You can report issues you see to us or click HERE to learn more.
River Watch is a mix between one of our citizen science programs and staff going out to sample creeks for macroinvertebrates. Groups become experts of their creek and go out and sample quarterly, noting information like air temperature, water temperature, pH, erosion, water transparency, and macroinvertebrate counts. We are very thankful to those who volunteer their time to help us fill in data gaps across the watershed and measure changes in water quality overtime. If you would like to learn more click HERE
We test for Industrial Contaminates to ensure drinking water is safe for downstream parties and in the hopes to enact policy change. We test for a slew of PFAS chemical and 1,4 dioxane with the help of our higher ed partners (NC State, UNC, and Duke).
In cases where we are seeing high levels of E. coli we can use our Fecal 5 program to get the waterway listed as impaired on North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality’s impaired waterways list (303d). Most recently our data informed the listing of Well Creek and Benton Branch for fecal in 2024. To be listed, a stream must have high levels of fecal 5 times in 30 days. Although the Haw River Watershed does not have many confined animal feeding operations, our CAFO program helps monitor them to make sure animal waste is not making its way to our rivers.Â
Do you like to swim in the Haw River or Jordan Lake? Check out our SwimGuide sites to know what the E. coli levels are before you go. We collect water samples on Thursdays and get the results on Friday, throughout the swim season (Memorial Day to Labor Day).
Have you ever seen something in our waterways and were not sure if everything was okay? You can contact us and we will do a General WQ Inquiry. These inquiries can range from investigating an odd smell or concerns about an industry polluting a waterway. You can email emily@hawriver.org if you have any concerns.
Parameters We Sample
Turbidity – is a measurement of the amount of sediment and other particles in the water. As turbidity increases, the clarity of the water decreases. Excess sediment in the water column can clog the gills of fish and filter feeders and smoother eggs and larva. In addition, it can block sunlight from reaching aquatic plants (Montclair State University).
pH – is the measure of how many Hydrogen + ions there are in the water, and it is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. This tells us if the water is acidic (low pH) or basic (high pH). pH is important because if the water is too acidic it will erode the shells of aquatic creatures, while low pH can damage gills and eyes. Extreme pH in either direction can cause death to most aquatic life (Fondriest Environmental, Inc.).
Water Temperature – is measuring the warmness or coldness of the water. This is important because certain creatures rely on certain temperatures and temperature changes to undergo life events. Also, if the water is too hot it won’t hold as much dissolved oxygen, and some chemicals are more toxic at the higher temperatures (USGS).
1,4 Dioxane – is an industrial solvent and once it is in water it is stable and does not break down. Exposure to high levels of 1,4 dioxane can cause liver and kidney damage (CDC).
PFAS – is a group of chemicals used in industry usually to create products that are water resistant or non-stick. These chemicals do not break down naturally and they are known to have numerous negative impacts on human health.
Dissolved Oxygen – is a measurement of oxygen available in the water. Oxygen in the water is vital for aquatic life, it allows them to breathe.
E.coli – is a bacteria that can end up in our waterways by means of CAFOs, Wastewater treatment plants, failing septic systems, and cows in our streams. The bacteria can be harmful and make you sick if ingested.
Macroinvertebrate Index – is used to understand the overall health of a stream. Aquatic macroinvertebrates are creatures who live in water and do not have a skeleton (insects, crustaceans, gastropods). Certain macroinvertebrates like stoneflies, mayflies, and caddisflies are sensitive to pollution. This means they can only survive in fairly clean water. By looking at what macroinvertebrates are present in a stream we can understand how polluted a waterway is.
Conductivity – measures the ability of water to conduct an electrical current. Ions in the water allow for higher conductivity. Usually, a drastic increase in conductivity can be a sign of some kind of pollutant discharge, such as wastewater or runoff. For example, in the winter when we salt our roads, when it rains or the snow melts, this salt makes its way into our waterways and conductivity will increase because the road salts are ions.