A rainstorm is being blamed for a recent sediment pollution problem in a lower Neuse River tributary.
Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register Seijo with the environmental group Sound Rivers investigated the creek near Havelock after a hotline tip. She found extremely murky, muddy waters flowing into a branch of Otter Creek, right near the ongoing Highway 70 construction project.
State Department of Transportation inspectors determined the pollution was not coming from the state's construction zone, but rather from a private rock road running parallel to the creek that partially washed out during heavy rainfall.
The state has contacted the property owner to fix the erosion, while Sound Rivers continues to monitor the waterway to protect the health of the river.
