Rocky Branch Creek

Origin Story  Waters flow into my watershed from throughout the NC State Campus. I slink underground for a bit before flowing into Walnut Creek. For many years, I suffered from entrapment from concrete walls—I was buried under parking lots and forced to swim through pipes to reach Walnut Creek. Pollution contaminated my waters, and I couldn't sustain life. I was voted Most Contaminated Stream in 1978 and spent almost 30 years waiting for rescue. Between 2002 and 2010, the Wake Water Warriors—NCSU, FEMA, NC DOT, and the City of Raleigh--freed me from exile and resurrected me—"daylighting" my buried sections, adding healthy floodplains and a healthier ecosystem to give me new life. Now, as I journey toward the Neuse River (the longest river in NC!) and on to the Atlantic Ocean, I bring healthy waters and Wolfpack energy to Pamlico Sound and the coast. While I'm still listed as an imperiled stream by the EPA, I have regained my strength.​