Creek Week and The Big Spring Clean

Creek Week

Storm Water Services Creek Week logo

Creek Week 2026 will take place March 21st- 28th, 2026, with The Big Spring Clean rounding up the week on the 28th from 9 am-12 pm. This is a week dedicated to celebrating and appreciating our surface waters through volunteering, education, and environmental stewardship.

Registration is open now! Check out how you can get involved this Creek Week!

Creek Week Stormwater Run-off 5k

March 21, 2026

This 5K winds through Latta Nature Preserve, offering runners a chance to experience the beauty of one of the lakes we work to protect.

Creek Week Trifecta Cleanup: Park, Street & Stream

March 21, 2026

Volunteers will be tackling Campbell Creek Greenway, surrounding streets, and instream litter.

Creek Week Pollution Solutions

March 21, 2026

Learn how pollution gets into places where it shouldn’t.

Creek Week Storm Drain Marking

March 21, 2026

Celebrate Creek Week and join the fight to keep Charlotte's water clean by marking storm drains!

Creek Week Mint Hill Run Club: Dirt Church (Trail Run with your dog!)

March 22, 2026

Come out and run with your dog!

Creek Week Tree Identification and Mapping

March 22, 2026

Come join the Landscape Management staff as you help map and inventory our trees under the Tree-by-Tree program.

Creek Week Learn to Fish (Session 1)

March 22, 2026

Learn how to fish from experts with Storm Water Services, the UNCC Bass Fishing team, and the NC Wildlife Commission!

Creek Week Learn to Fish (Session 2)

March 22, 2026

Learn how to fish from experts with Storm Water Services, the UNCC Bass Fishing team, and the NC Wildlife Commission!

Creek Week Stream Cleanup with Charlotte Wildlife Stewards

March 22, 2026

Join us in restoring habitat by removing trash that harms wildlife here and downstream.

Creek Week Family Homeschool Day

March 23, 2026

Gather the whole family to discover an immersive approach to the homeschool experience!

Creek Week What is a Wetland?

March 23, 2026

Join an educator at McDowell and become a wetland scientist for the day!

Creek Week Babes in the Woods

March 24, 2026

Join us to stretch your legs while you chat with other parents and a McDowell Naturalist in a casual, social setting.

Creek Week Walk in the Park Cleanup

March 24, 2026

Sign up today to help keep your favorite park or greenway clean and healthy by picking up litter! A great way to spend a couple of hours AT LUNCHTIME by getting outdoors and helping in your community.

Creek Week Nature Hike

March 24, 2026

Enjoy an afternoon hike with the family at McDowell Nature Preserve.

Creek Week Stream Explorations

March 25, 2026

Volunteer with Storm Water Services.

Creek Week Learning English Together – Story Time with Stormy!

March 26, 2026

Volunteer with Storm Water Services.

Creek Week Watershed Wonders

March 26, 2026

Discover the different watersheds in Mecklenburg County, and explore how these watersheds vary in size, shape, and function.

Creek Week VolunThursday – Tree Maintenance

March 26, 2026

Tree maintenance involves caring for trees planted in floodplains to help with stream stability and to provide habitat. During this event, we will be removing invasive plants, pruning, and mulching.

Creek Week Public Homeschool: Invasive Invaders

March 26, 2026

Discover the elusive world of invasive organisms and best practices on how to eradicate them from our native, natural communities in this hands-on program that is aligned with NC DPI K-12 Standards and Curriculum.

Creek Week Little Critters - Story Time with Stormy 10:30am

March 27, 2026

Volunteer with Storm Water Services.

Creek Week Little Critters - Story Time with Stormy 11:30am

March 27, 2026

Volunteer with Storm Water Services.

Creek Week Latta Nature Preserve Kayak Tour

March 27, 2026

Join us for a tour of Mountain Island Lake at Litta Nature Preserve to learn about its history, importance, and current wildlife!

The Big Spring Clean Irvins Creek @ Windsor Park

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

The Big Spring Clean Irwin Creek @ Clanton Park

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

The Big Spring Clean Little Sugar Creek @ Carolina Pavillion

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

The Big Spring Clean Little Sugar Creek @ Metropolitan

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

The Big Spring Clean McDowell @ Birkdale Village

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

The Big Spring Clean Paw Creek @ R L Smith Park

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

The Big Spring Clean Toby Creek at Chancellor Park Drive

March 28, 2026

Volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can!

Creek Week NC Stream Watch

March 28, 2026

Discover what it takes to join the NC Stream Watch community.
View More Events

Check out last year’s highlights:

The Association of Sciences volunteers cleanup a creek.

The Association of Sciences volunteers cleanup a creek.

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Volunteers wearing safety vests and holding trash bags clean up a creek.

Volunteers wearing safety vests and holding trash bags clean up a creek.

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Volunteers wearing safety vests clean up a street.

Volunteers wearing safety vests clean up a street.

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Two people on a dock start to fish.

Two people on a dock start to fish.

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LUESA Staff wearing safety vests and holding trash bags clean up the creek and beside the creek.

LUESA Staff wearing safety vests and holding trash bags clean up the creek and beside the creek.

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A volunteer checks in at a table to help clean streams at Freedom Park with other volunteers in the background.

A volunteer checks in at a table to help clean streams at Freedom Park with other volunteers in the background.

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A table of information and volunteers at Park and Stream Cleanup at Freedom Park area.

A table of information and volunteers at Park and Stream Cleanup at Freedom Park area.

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Two volunteers wearing safety vests and holding trash bags at Stewart Creek Greenway Opening Celebration clean up the area.

Two volunteers wearing safety vests and holding trash bags at Stewart Creek Greenway Opening Celebration clean up the area.

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A volunteer sitting in a rocky chair, reading a book with Stormy, the turtle.

A volunteer sitting in a rocky chair, reading a book with Stormy, the turtle.

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Creek Week would be nothing without the partner organizations that support these efforts with time, effort and programming:

List of our Partners, see below for more information.

The above graphic features all our partnerships:

Line 1: Catawba Riverkeepers, Keep Charlotte Beautiful, Ballantyne Running Club, Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation District, Charlotte Public Tree Fund, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Line 2: Town of Huntersville, Town of Pineville, Davidson Lands Conservancy, NC Air Awareness, City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation

Line 3: Charlotte Toolbank, Mecklenburg County, Trees Charlotte

Line 4: Charlotte Wildlife Stewards, Town of Matthews, Town of Cornelius, Town of Davidson, Carolina Thread Trail, Town of Mint Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library

CMSWS is always looking for new ways to partner and celebrate our waterways. If your organization is interested in partnering next year. Please reach out to STW-Volunteers@MeckNC.gov by January 2027.

The Big Spring Clean

The Big Spring Clean Logo

The Big Spring Clean takes place on the final day of Creek Week where hundreds of volunteers gather at sites around Mecklenburg County to remove as much litter from our creeks as we can! The Big Spring Clean 2026 will take place on March 28th 9 AM- 12 PM. See below to find a site available near you!

 

Check out last year’s highlights:

Family participates in The Big Spring Clean

Family participates in The Big Spring Clean

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Group of volunteers meeting for The Big Spring Clean

Group of volunteers meeting for The Big Spring Clean

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Group of volunteers near a creek

Group of volunteers near a creek

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Large trash haul from The Big Spring Clean

Large trash haul from The Big Spring Clean

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Two volunteers picking up trash near a creek

Two volunteers picking up trash near a creek

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Volunteer bringing trash out of a creek

Volunteer bringing trash out of a creek

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Volunteers getting ready to clean streams

Volunteers getting ready to clean streams

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Volunteers hauling trash

Volunteers hauling trash

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Volunteers meeting about The Big Spring Clean

Volunteers meeting about The Big Spring Clean

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Learn More

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. To make a reasonable accommodation or language access request, please email STW-Volunteers@MeckNC.gov or call 980-402-4206.

Contact Us

Taylor Mebane
Mecklenburg County Environmental Specialist III
980-402-4206
STW-Volunteers@mecknc.gov

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Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte are committed to ensuring that our programs, services, and activities are accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternative formats, language access and other reasonable modifications will be provided. To make a request, please contact Taylor Mebane at StormWater@mecknc.gov or 980-402-4206.

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