Water Quality Projects

Clean water is essential to healthy communities, yet many neighborhoods in Charleston face challenges from flooding, stormwater runoff, and industrial impacts. CCRAB’s water quality projects focus on understanding these issues through science, education, and action led by residents.

Citizen Scientist Training

Just like with air quality, CCRAB empowers residents to become active participants in research. Community members learn how to gather water samples, document flooding, and share their findings. These skills help residents advocate for stronger protections and smarter infrastructure investments.

CCRAB is currently supporting the Rosemont community in documenting the impact of flooding in their neighborhood through three initiatives: 

1) #FloodWatch Residential Monitoring Stations: 

• Webcams collect data on tide and flooding trends

• Flood sensors collect depth of standing water at the base of a pole, and 

• Rain gauges collect the volume and rate of rainfall.

Click to learn more.

2) Citizen Science Water Quality Sampling:

A cohort of residents are trained and compensated to collect water samples during flood events. Samples are sent to a lab for processing and then the results are returned to CCRAB to be entered into a secure database co-owned by CCRAB and residents.

3) Neighborhood Hydrology Mapping

Using LIDAR imagery and GIS analysis, CCRAB maps how water moves through the neighborhood using residents' firsthand knowledge to ground-truth the models.

From Data to Change

CCRAB works with city and county agencies, public health experts, and environmental organizations to highlight community concerns and push for solutions. Our projects ensure resident voices drive the conversation. Together, we are building the knowledge and collective power needed to safeguard vulnerable, underresourced neighborhoods for present and future generations.