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community engagement

image: Pamlico River, water's edge.

Dec 3, 2025

Reducing the Nutrient Load

Last year, researchers teamed with local experts to look at hybrid constructed wetlands as part of a solution for North Carolina’s impaired watersheds, thanks to the Community Collaborative Research Grant Program from North Carolina Sea Grant, the NC Water Resources Research Institute, and the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science. The CCRG Program is currently accepting proposals.
image: starry landscape.

Nov 18, 2025

Soul of the Soil

Researchers and the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe joined forces to assess soil contaminants, thanks to the Community Collaborative Research Grant Program from WRRI, Sea Grant, and NC State's William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology, and Science. The CCRG Program is currently accepting proposals.
image: bioretention area.

Nov 4, 2025

Green Solutions at Biltmore Hills Park

Annual stormwater runoff volume is down by 55% — a reduction of 155,814 cubic feet per year.

Oct 31, 2024

Now Accepting Proposals for 2025 Community Collaboration Research Grants

North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), NC Sea Grant, and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science (KIETS) are accepting proposals for the Community Collaborative Research Grant (CCRG) program for projects to start in May 2025. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on January 24, 2025. “The CCRG is…

May 28, 2024

From the Mountains to the Sea: Researchers and Community Activists Focus on Plastic Pollution in North Carolina

From plastic trash littering our creeks and rivers, to microplastics in our waterways and bloodstreams, plastic pollution can feel ubiquitous and inevitable—but some North Carolina researchers are doing vital work to measure plastic in our environments, raise awareness about its impacts, and combat its effects.
In a brightly lit room, someone fills up a clear glass with water from the sink.

Sep 27, 2023

NC WRRI Fellows Work to Improve Well Water Quality Through PFAS Research

BY EMMA SCARDINA Graduate students Tiffany VanDerwerker of North Carolina State University and Charlotte Robbins of UNC Chapel Hill are supporting communities through their research on PFAS in well water. VanDerwerker’s research considered an alternative water source for homes that have contaminated well water. Robbins’ project analyzes how PFAS leaks from landfills into surrounding groundwater…

Apr 26, 2023

WRRI’s Walnut Creek Wetland Community Partnership Recognized for Environmental and Community Impacts

The Walnut Creek Wetland Community Partnership (WCWCP) received two awards from the City of Raleigh during the Earth Day Celebration on April 21 at Dix Park: The Raleigh Environmental Stewardship Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that show environmental leadership and whose work acknowledges the relationship between the environment, economics, and communities; and the Dare…