Please see our home page (click) for breaking news about upcoming events.

Also upcoming:

 WATR Christmas Party

Hey!  It’s getting to be that time of year!  And what a Year WATR has had!  Retrieving car wrecks, cleaning creeks, kicking off BackYard Buffers, working to minimize impacts from Development, and granting micro-diplomas in Mudology!  Your association and your fellow members have been busy!

Let’s Party on Monday December 8 at 6:00 PM

TJ Walker’s Dillsboro Inn

We have two rooms reserved, but weather permitting we will huddle around the bonfire too.

Bring food (main dish, salad, or dessert) and choice of drink.  Softdrinks provided.  Please RSVP to the main office.  A head count is important.  828 488-8418 or info@WATRnc.org

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Lunch at the Riverside Grill in Bryson City on Wednesday, November 5 starting at noon. (Great little meeting.... see you next month)

Lunch at the Soul Infusion Tea House in Sylva on Wednesday, November 12 starting at noon.

RECENT WATR Events

WATR Strategic Planning Committee Meets

WATR's Board of Directors held a Strategic Planning Committee session on Tuesday evening, October 14 at Ryan's Restaurant in Sylva.

WATR Celebrates at Annual Dinner

Over 60 people, mostly from Jackson and Swain Counties, attended WATR's annual dinner on Monday, September 15. The celebration of the Tuckasegee River was held along the banks of the river at the Best Western Inn in Dillsboro. View photos of folks who attended the dinner (click here)!

Several awards were announced at the dinner, in addition to a recap of recent WATR events:

Ken Walton is Volunteer of the Year

Ken Walton, WCU graduate student in Natural Resources, was awarded the volunteer of the year for WATR. He researched the possible impacts of golf courses on water quality and joined the association's team of water quality samplers.

Swain County Builders Win Watershed-Aware Contractor Awards

Swain County builders won two Watershed-Aware Contractor awards for diligently following the erosion & sediment control rules and minimizing erosion. Chad Ensley won for his work in site development at Smoky Mountain Cove on Shephards Creek while Wayne Parton won for site development at the Settlement at Thomas Divide on Galbraith Creek. There were no winners from Jackson County this year.

Erosion Tracking Continues

WATR tracks erosion on a watershed wide basis. During the August-25 storm from hurricane Fay the Association estimated that about 700 tons of mud and dirt drained out of the watershed and into Fontana Lake.

Legasus-Community Forum

Recently WATR has been instrumental in developing an open dialogue with the Legasus development company about reducing watershed and other impacts from a planned 1,800 acre development named Webster Creek, in the community of Tuckasegee on State Route 107 in Jackson County. The dialogue includes neighborhood representatives and others concerned about environmental and cultural preservation in Jackson County.

A Legasus-Community Forum took place on September 9 at the Tuckasegee Baptist Church: click here for more coverage of the forum.

Coopers Creek CleanUp

The Coopers Creek CleanUp took place on May 3.

We met at the Tuckasegee River Put-In Park, across the road from the Coopers Creek General Store. Under the leadership of Coopers Creek residents Ralph Wright-Murphy and Lucretia Stargell, a stalwart crew of 15 picked up trash along 3 miles of road -- including old emergency road markers and a mangled clothes washer. View the photos (click here).

Special thanks to David Kinner and the WCU Geosciences Club, to newbie Shirley, and to 2 great teenagers. Plus, thanks to WATR regulars Bill and Pam Lee and Craig Green!

Everyone enjoyed pizza thereafter.

Unveiling of the World's First Mud Meter

Unveiling of the World's First Mud Meter took place on Saturday April 26 in Sylva.

(Note: the Mud Meter currently is down for repairs; it should be re-energized early this month.)

Mud Meter on Sunday afternoon 4/27 -- Ted Kubit snapped the picture above, shortly after an intense cloudburst. Craig Green reported that Scotts Creek was running red with mud!

FYI --

Distilled water       ... 0 units

Clean natural water   ... 2 to 8 units

Upper limit for trout ... 10 units (would look just slightly hazy)

Hazy ................... 20 to 50 units

Murky .................. 100 units

Really muddy ........... 250 to 400 units

Mud .................... above 400 units

Always remember, Scotts Creek is a mountain stream that should run clear shortly after a rain storm.

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