Is Raleigh's drinking water in danger?

WakeUP, an organization that advocates for sustainable development in Wake County, N.C., will hold a free public forum on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Raleigh's McKimmon Center to discuss pollution in Falls Lake, the main source of drinking water for Raleigh and Eastern Wake communities.

The forum comes as an important rule-making process is underway to clean up the lake, which is currently listed among the state's impaired waters due in large part to pollution caused by runoff from development.

Among the people scheduled to speak are state Rep. Jennifer Weiss, water pollution expert Dr. JoAnn Burkholder of N.C. State University, Raleigh's Assistant Public Utilities Director Kenneth Waldroup, and Environment NC Director Elizabeth Ouzts. For more details and to register, click here.



(Photo of Falls Lake by Sue Sturgis)

Volunteers needed for cleanup before dedication of Raleigh's new Little Rock Greenway

A ceremony to mark the opening of Raleigh's newest stretch of greenway will take place later this month, and the city is looking for volunteers to help clean up the nearby stream beforehand.

On Thursday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m., the city's Parks and Recreation Department will hold a dedication ceremony for the new Little Rock Greenway at the trail's entrance across from the Walnut Creek Wetland Center at 950 Peterson St. in Southeast Raleigh. This section of the greenway runs between Walnut Creek near the intersection of State and Peterson streets to Chavis Park.

The city is looking for volunteers to help clean up the greenway's adjacent stream -- a tributary of Walnut Creek -- before the dedication ceremony. The cleanup will take place on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to noon; volunteers are asked to meet at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center. If interested in volunteering, call Cindy Trumbower at 996-3292.