The Lower Creek watershed is a 100 square mile area that drains parts of Caldwell and Burke Counties and is a main tributary to Lake Rhodhiss.  Lower Creek and several of its feeder streams are on North Carolina’s list of impaired waters

Water quality in the Lower Creek watershed has been of concern for decades.  There are several streams that are on North Carolina’s 2006 list of impaired waters (known as the 303(d) list)—Lower Creek, Zacks Fork, Spainhour Creek, Greasy Creek, and Bristol Creek.   These streams suffer from excess sedimentation, degraded habitat for aquatic organisms, fecal coliform bacteria contamination, excessive stormwater flows, and pollutants such as nutrients, metals, and other toxicants from various non-point pollution sources.  In addition, Lake Rhodhiss, into which Lower Creek flows, is on the 303(d) list due to factors related to excess nutrients. 

There has been over a decade of focused work to understand the causes of water quality problems in Lower Creek and it tributaries (Historical Section). Currently the Lower Creek Advisory Team is serving as a group that is voluntarily cooperating to share resources and expertise to encourage continued implementation of projects and programs to improve water quality in Lower Creek and the surrounding area (see Advisory Team LCAT).