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Research

image: aerial view of a lithium mine in N.C. Piedmont.

Apr 7, 2026

When Water Meets Rock

Researchers on a North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute and Duke University project are investigating the residual effects of lithium mining — and shedding light on the potential impacts of future mining operations. 
image: Glory Kidimbu sampling in sand.

Mar 31, 2026

The Disease Detective

Glory Kidimbu, a Mountains to Sea Fellow with the NC Water Resources Research Institute and North Carolina Sea Grant, is investigating the transmission of parasitic pathogens to waterways.
Kaylee Luchansky, a doctoral student in the Integrative, Comparative and Marine Biology program at UNCW studies zooplanktons she sampled at Jordan Lake near Raleigh, NC.

Mar 24, 2026

Behind the Research: Repairing Jordan Lake’s Ecosystem with Zooplankton

Thanks to a Mountains to Sea Fellowship with the NC Water Resources Research Institute and North Carolina Sea Grant, Kaylee Luchansky spent last summer examining the use of zooplankton to repair the ecosystem of one of North Carolina's most popular lakes.
image: landfill.

Mar 17, 2026

Measuring Leachate Contamination in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico Watersheds

A new study from a joint fellow with the NC Water Resources Research Institute and North Carolina Sea Grant investigates what happens as increasingly frequent extreme weather events flush contaminants -- including landfill leachate -- into coastal waterways.

Dec 10, 2025

Waste Not, Want Not

As population growth puts pressure on existing resources, a new study explores wastewater renewal, thanks to a Community Collaborative Research Grant 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: 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.

Sep 18, 2025

New Tool Helps Wastewater Treatment Plants Across North Carolina

When is the last time you thought about your sewer system? While often overlooked, sewer systems play a crucial role in transporting and treating wastewater and are an integral part…

Aug 25, 2025

A New World for Microbes

“Do microplastics alter ecosystem processes in their respective habitats?”
image: view out of a well.

Aug 15, 2025

PFAS, Arsenic, and Trade-Offs

New research finds that drilling deeper groundwater wells may provide residents in counties along the Cape Fear River with safer drinking water. It’s a promising alternative for many people living near the river, where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — also known as “forever chemicals” — have seeped into shallow groundwater for years.