Upper McDowell Creek
Water quality monitoring
The construction equipment is long gone, but Storm Water Services is still working in the upper reaches of
McDowell Creek in Cornelius. A project to repair two small streams was completed last fall. Now Storm Water
Services employees are checking to make sure the project worked and the creek water is cleaner.
One way to measure water quality is to see what kinds of bugs and fish are in the water. Some species won’t live in
water that’s filled with dirt particles, bacteria or chemicals.
To monitor the water quality, Storm Water’s environmental specialists are now
sampling the aquatic life in those two streams. So far the results are excellent.
Repairing the eroded stream banks and adding wetlands and a rain garden
appear to be improving water quality and habitat in the
stream.
Clean creek water is not only important for fish.
McDowell Creek flows into the source of CharlotteMecklenburg’s drinking water.
More at: stormwater.charmeck.org
Check out Storm Water Projects, then McDowell Creek Watershed.
Your Storm Water
fees at work!