Ellerbe Creek Watershed | Durham, NC

We're asking for public feedback on our Ellerbe Creek Watershed Study. Please participate in this survey and let us know what's important to you.  

Find out more about the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Study on our Water Quality Special Studies page. 

Water Impacted

Ellerbe Creek watershed has the highest population density of Durham’s watersheds. Water from Ellerbe Creek flows into Falls Lake, then it follows the Neuse River to the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound before emptying into the ocean. 

Water quality concerns keep Ellerbe Creek from its intended uses by people and wildlife. The State has added the creek to a list of impaired water bodies, also known as the 303(d) list. This means the city will need to take steps to find and reduce sources of pollution in the creek. 

Get Involved

There are many ways for you to help protect the health of Ellerbe Creek. You can adopt a drain or participate with NC Stream Watch. There are also two major stream clean-ups each year. Big Sweep is the 1st weekend in October and Creek Week is the third week in March. Email the public education coordinator for details.

You can also join some of the many groups dedicated to protecting the health of our rivers and streams. Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association and Sound Rivers are both active in this watershed.

Water Quality

The health and cleanliness of the watershed are reported in Durham’s annual State of Our Streams Report. In years when staff is able to take a wide variety of tests, the watershed is also given a score. Ellerbe Creek received a score of 76. This compares to a "C" letter grade. This is up from the grade of 66 it received in 2022. You can find previous State of Our Streams reports at the bottom of this webpage.

See past Ellerbe Creek report cards:

Water Pollution Investigations

60 sources of pollution were investigated and eliminated during this reporting year. This is a list of the pollution sources our team found based on investigations and stormwater hotline (919-560-7946) tips. The top sources of pollution identified within the city were: 

• erosion and sediment discharges
• private sanitary sewer discharges
• city sanitary sewer discharges
• improper yard waste disposal
• petroleum spills

Watershed Improvement Plan

This plan is designed to further evaluate pollution sources and identify specific projects and measures to prevent future water pollution and help repair current problems. The final goal of this plan is the development of an implementation strategy.

Learn more about other stormwater projects currently underway in the Ellerbe Creek Watershed.