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Ensuring the upkeep of urban surface waters is crucial for safeguarding public health and preserving the ecological balance of our watersheds. Urban creeks often face an array of environmental challenges that can be alleviated through proactive stewardship employing the best management practices. Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is in the Irwin Creek subwatershed, part of the Catawba River Basin in West Charlotte. Notably, in 1968 Irwin Creek was classified as impaired under Section 303d of the Clean Water Act In this context, we introduce the initial phase of a nascent water monitoring program for Irwin Creek initiated by JCSU's Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainability (CRES)This study presents data from probes deployed in Irwin Creek that have been collecting temperature, depth, and conductivity data since 2021. I also conducted a 3-month study of water quality at numerous locations in West Charlotte's Irwin Creek, using a handheld water quality meter, measuring for temperature, depth, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, among other parameters. During the sampling study, I also conducted bacteriological samples testing for E. coli. The probe data provides a framework for beginning to characterize patterns in the Irwin Creek Watershed over the course of time. Probe data showed variations attributable to changes in the seasons, and more acute responses to localized rain events. The bacteriological data indicates that in some instances E. coli levels are above the criteria threshold (value>>235 cfu/100 mL), indicating a biological water quality issue in Irwin Creek that can be of concern for public health. This study presents baseline data to better inform future iterations of water quality monitoring strategies in Irwin Creek. Future work includes the development of a community engagement strategy for the Beattie's Ford Road Corridor. An area which predominantly comprises African American residents [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is Charlotte's only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and the number one ranked private HBCU in North Carolina. Over the past several years, our environmental and sustainability programming has incorporated active science education research aimed to increase the participation of African Americans (AAs) in sustainability and environmental sciences, and to improve stakeholder engagement in the environmental sector. Over the past three years, we hosted summer immersion programs for undergraduate students that included travel across multiple physiographic provinces. During the fall academic semester a collection of water samples were later used for analysis in a special topics eDNA course (BIO 491). In this course students are introduced to a mix of textbook material and engage in projects using real-world eDNA samples. Students learn laboratory skills through the use of qPCR analysis and also have the opportunity to analyze metabarcoding data contextualized to address relevant biodiversity concerns. Herein, we report on a metabarcoding dataset representing eDNA samples collected from five locations of the Little Tennessee River, each sampled in duplicate (n=10). Sampling sites were guided by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences collections database accessed online. Using a cytochrome c oxidase (COI) metabarcode, 30 unique sequences were recovered representing a total of four species each from different genera. The samples averaged a 99.2% match with BLAST sequences from GenBank and none were less than a 97.4% match. The Tennessee Clubshell, Pleurobema oviforme, was detected from two samples from two different locations. The Rainbow, Villosa iris, was detected from seven samples from five different locations. This experiential learning activity and our findings will be discussed in context to broader applications for addressing modern environmental threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]