Did you know that there are more than 3,000 miles of creeks and more than 50 named creeks in Charlotte-Mecklenburg?

Creeks are sometimes a forgotten community resource, especially in urban areas, often looked upon as mere drainage channels that attract mosquitoes and nuisance critters. Yet in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, creeks enhance our quality of life in many ways. Kids are naturally attracted to them as a place to play and learn about nature. They're a place of natural beauty and quietness, providing a respite from the urban hustle and bustle. They also provide recreational opportunities such as greenway hiking, fishing and even kayaking. To realize just how lucky we area, one needs to only look at a place like Los Angeles where the creeks and rivers were turned into concrete-lined channels many years ago.

During this year's Creek Week running Saturday, March 19 through Saturday, March 26, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services invites you to care for our creeks by participating in a full week of safe, outdoor volunteer events and fun, informative learning opportunities. You can participate in Creek Week events throughout the week and help us close out the event at our annual cleanup event, the Big Spring Clean, on Saturday March 26, where volunteers from across the area will gather to clean our creeks together!

From the "Rain Barrel Workshop", where you will learn about and make your own rain barrel for your home, to the "Family Storytime" event where the whole family can enjoy stories, songs and Stormy the stormwater Turtle, to outdoor creek cleanups where you can get hands-on and help protect our surface waters, there will be something for everyone!

Events will take place throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Make sure to check the Creek Week calendar often as events are being added regularly! Here's a look at what you can expect:

Saturday, March 19

• 10 a.m. to noon – Street and Stream Cleanup with Keep Charlotte Beautiful & Blue Blaze Brewing

• Come help us pick up litter from Stewart Creek and the nearby streets.

• 528 S. Turner Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28208

• 10 a.m. to noon – Stream Cleanup with The Catawba Riverkeeper

• Join us creek-side as we pick up litter from Irwin Creek.

• 215 N. Sycamore Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 (Ray's Splash Planet)

• 2 –4 p.m. – Tree Maintenance Volunteer Event

• We need your help pruning limbs, fixing weed mats and straightening tree tubes.

• 7644 Henderson Park Road, Huntersville, NC 28078

Sunday, March 20

• 1 – 3 p.m. – Live Stake Planting

• Help us stabilize the stream banks by planting live stakes along Briar Creek.

• 222 Wyanoke Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205 (Chantilly Park)

• 1:30 – 3 p.m. – Rain Barrel Workshop with The Catawba Riverkeeper

• Come decorate and take home your own rain barrel.

• 115 Willow Drive, McAdenville, NC 28101 (The Boathouse)

• 3 – 4:30 p.m. – I Spy… Trash with the Charlotte Wildlife Stewards

• Come help us clean up trash and learn about the Charlotte Wildlife Stewards.

• 222 Wyanoke Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205 (Chantilly Park)

Monday, March 21

• 11 a.m. to noon – Storm Drain Marking Volunteer Event

• Join us for a lunch hour event where we will be gluing decals on nearby storm drains to remind residents that the drains are only for rain.

• 1200 Baxter Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

Tuesday, March 22

• 11 a.m. to noon – Streamand Greenway Cleanup Volunteer Event

• Join us for a lunch-hour event where we will be picking up litter in the stream and along Campbell Creek Greenway.

• 2116 Margaret Wallace Road, Matthews, NC 28105

• Registration coming soon

Wednesday, March 23

• 10 – 10:30 a.m. – Family Storytime (Outdoors) Featuring Stormy

• Bring the whole family to enjoy stories, songs, and Stormy the stormwater Turtle!

• 300 East 7th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202 (ImaginOn)

• Registration coming soon

• 4 – 6 p.m. – Storm Drain Marking Volunteer Event

• Meet us to pick up supplies and a map of a nearby neighborhood in need of our storm drain markers.

• 4430 Mint Hill Village Lane, Mint Hill, NC 28227 (Mint Hill Town Hall)

• 5 – 6 p.m. – Stream Walk

• Join us for a stream walk along Torrence Creek! Along the way we will learn about buffers, conservation easements, stream structures and more!

• 15407 Shinner Drive Huntersville, NC 28078 (Parking)

• 15432 Shinner Drive Huntersville, NC 28078 (Meet up spot)

Thursday, March 24

• 11 a.m. to noon – VolunThursday Stream Cleanup Volunteer Event

• Join us for a lunch-hour cleanup of Briar Creek.

• 2730 Randolph Road, Charlotte, NC 28207

• 5:30 – 7 p.m. – Riverkeeper Learning Series: CREEK WEEK Brewery Tour

• Join us for a 45-minute walk along the greenway along Stewart Creek and learn about this local waterway and it's connected communities.

• 528 S. Turner Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28208

Friday, March 25

• 4 – 6 p.m. – Tree Maintenance and Replanting Volunteer Event

• We need your help replanting trees, pruning limbs, fixing weed mats and straightening tree tubes.

• 222 Wyanoke Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28208

Saturday, March 26

• 9 a.m. - noon – The Big Spring Clean

• Join us as we hold a countywide litter pickup of our streams.

• 10 a.m. to noon – Stream Cleanup with Carolina Thread Trail & Great Outdoor Provisions

• Come help us pick up litter from Little Sugar Creek.

>Can't make the events?

Storm Water Services' Surface Water Quality program works year-round on a variety of initiatives, including education, pollution prevention, volunteer efforts and stream restoration projects in order to protect and improve surface water quality throughout our area. We offer several different volunteer opportunities all year long such as.

• Second Saturday.

• Adopt-A-Stream.

• Storm Drain Marking.

Learn more about our waterways by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.