Smithers Creek Watch
Citizens. Science. Stewardship.
Smithers Creek Watch is a hands-on citizen-science program training residents to monitor, protect, and restore Smithers Creek. Through water sampling, Stream Selfies, youth learning, and community cleanups, we’re building a stronger, data-driven understanding of our watershed, and empowering neighbors to take the lead in caring for it.
10 Homes. 5 Months. One Valley Working Together.
Smithers Creek Watch is forming the SCW Neighborhood Team, a small group of 10 households who will help us check tap water for fecal contamination once per month for five months.
This effort works alongside our creek monitoring project, where trained volunteers test three creek sites for 9 months.
Creek data shows what’s happening in the waterway.
Neighborhood Team data shows what’s happening in the tap.
Together, these datasets help us understand how contamination may enter or move through the system, especially near the recent sewer line break and other potential upstream wastewater risks, including the Mt. Olive Correctional Complex’s permitted discharge.
Selected households receive:
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a free Water Resilience Kit
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a short 3-minute training video
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one test per month (for 5 months)
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reminders and support from the SCW team
Even though only 10 homes will participate, the information they gather helps protect the entire Valley.
If you want your home considered for the SCW Neighborhood Team, fill out this quick form using the button below.
Funded by WV Rivers Coalition.
Citizens.
Science.
Stewardship.
Smithers Creek Watch trains neighbors to test water, document creek conditions, and respond to environmental threats through partnerships with SciStarter, CitSci, and local libraries, including the Montgomery, WV Public Library.
We combine simple tools, real data, and community pride to protect the creek that runs through all of us.
This project is proudly supported by the WV Rivers Coalition's Community Action Mini Grant Program, whose investment is helping us launch community-led monitoring right here in the Upper Kanawha Valley.