Robeson Creek Water Quality Outreach Initiative

Non-Technical Summary: The Robeson Creek watershed, located in central North Carolina, is one of the most impaired watersheds in the state. As a major water supplier to the also impaired Jordan Lake, this watershed has been the focus of numerous water quality projects over the past eight years and is an EPA and NC Division of Water Quality (DWQ) Restoration Watershed. North Carolina State University (NCSU) has been a leader in initiating water quality improvement projects and garnering stakeholder support through these years in the watershed. The Robson Creek Watershed Council (RCWC) has been an active stakeholder group and with the help of NCSU is actively addressing water impairment issues in the community. These partnerships have developed long term goals for the protection and improvement of the watershed water quality. To meet these long term goals, NCSU proposes under this USDA NIWQP grant to implement several programs to enhance the path to the Robeson Creek watershed community's self-sustainability of water quality. The following objectives are proposed: 1. Strengthen the Town of Pittsboro's stormwater ordinances. 2. Work with youth in local school system and other programs including 4-H, boy scouts and girl scouts to implement a rain garden and use it as an ongoing outdoor laboratory for educational programs on water quality. 3. Work with businesses in the watershed to develop a water quality leadership challenge program. 4. Increase water quality awareness through educational signs and programs developed around existing water quality projects throughout the watershed. 5. Evaluate changes in stakeholder attitudes about improving and protecting water quality as a result of Extension programs funded under this USDA NIWQP project and other projects throughout the watershed. The evaluation will involve a series of surveys and focus group meetings of local stakeholders. These initiatives will serve as a model for other communities in the Jordan Lake watershed as well as other municipalities around the country. Engaging stakeholders like youth and businesses as well as surveying these and other stakeholders to determine outreach impacts will help Extension personnel hone their efforts to help people understand and improve water quality. <P> Approach: 1. Strengthening the Town of Pittsboro's stormwater ordinances. An ordinance review team comprised of stakeholders and Town personnel will meet monthly to review, research, and re-write the Town's existing stormwater ordinances. 2. Working with local youth on a BMP implementation project. A BMP demonstration project will be implemented with the assistance of local youth from 4-H programs and local school students. Students will be surveyed on their knowledge of water quality issues. Youth leaders will be given instructional materials on how to use the demonstration project as an educational tool. 3. Developing a water quality business leadership challenge program A Business Water Quality Challenge Team will be formed which will create leadership program that includes challenge levels to encourage businesses to make improvements in pollution prevention by advancement though the program. Team creates tools for evaluating water quality improvements obtained by businesses and rewards businesses for sucess. 4. Increasing water quality awareness Educational signs will be designed and installed on the youth BMP educational project as well as other existing BMP projects throughout the watershed where educational activities will take place. Existing BMPs will be used for water quality educational programs given by extension and NCSU personnel. Three annual Robeson Creek watershed newsletters will be created and mailed to all landowners within the watershed. Three annual workshops for the public will be held. 5. Evaluating outreach impacts on Robeson Creek watershed stakeholders Three surveys will be mailed to landowners within the entire watershed one per year for three years. Surveys will ask landowners questions regarding outreach efforts and programs. Questions will target landowner knowledge of water quality issues in the Robeson Creek watershed, attitudes toward water quality, and how outreach efforts have impacted landowners, if at all. Surveys will be given out to participants in youth programs and stakeholder workshops prior to and immediately following program presentations to determine immediate education impacts on participants. Follow up surveys will be mailed to participants 3 months post program to determine if participant behaviors regarding water quality have been impacted through time. A focus group will be established and meet twice a year for 3 years. Information about water quality issues, BMPs, Robeson Creek and Jordan Lake impairments and other relevant information will be presented at each focus group session. Following the information session, discussions and a questionnaire will open to the group. Attitudes and behavior toward local water quality issues will be documented over time to determine if there is increased awareness and efforts to improve the watershed on individual levels. Information from surveys and focus group comments will be assimilated and analyzed. A report will be finalized at the end of two years to determine outreach effort impacts in the Robeson Creek watershed.