About the Study Area

The watershed study area covers over six square miles and is shown in the map below.  This includes all of Rocky Branch Watershed and a portion of Walnut Creek Watershed.  These are two of the 36 watersheds in the city. 

The study area is roughly bounded on the west by I-440, on the north by Hillsborough Street and New Bern Avenue, on the east by Peyton Street, and on the south by Western Boulevard and Walnut Creek. 

The rain that falls within this boundary finds its way through stormwater pipes, ditches, and streams to Walnut Creek then to the Neuse River.

Streams

 Rocky Branch begins near Meredith College, flows southeast through the NC State Central Campus and along Western Boulevard and joins with Walnut Creek at near South Wilmington Street and I-40. Walnut Creek flows east to the Neuse River. Over 7 miles of the Rocky Branch Trail and Walnut Creek Trail greenways follow the path of these two streams through the watershed study area. 

Stormwater System

• Stormwater infrastructure, like culverts, pipes and drains, help safely collect and carry stormwater runoff into the streams when it rains. Water can also flow through the system under roads, driveways, and bridges before it reaches streams.
• There are over 85 miles of stormwater pipes in this watershed.  Approximately 34 miles are maintained by the City. The remainder are located on state, county, or private property.

Map

You can zoom into the map below to see the location of the stormwater system and some recent stormwater projects. We maintain the areas in yellow. This is the stormwater system on City-maintained, public roads.