Local water. Shared responsibility.

Healthy creeks.A future worth protecting.

CreekKeeper explains how local waterways work, what puts them at risk, and practical ways people can help protect water, wildlife, and neighborhoods.

Learn about creeks ↓ See cleanup guidance
Cleaning creeks since 1998 Rivers Alive sponsor award · 2009 Forsyth County, Georgia
A shaded creek flowing through a green forest
What happens on land reaches the creek.

Rain can carry soil, litter, fertilizer, and chemicals from streets and yards into local waterways.

Small streams connect us all.
One connected watershedWater links our streets, creeks, rivers, groundwater, and coast.
Reduce runoffPlants and healthy soil slow water and filter pollutants.
Prevent litterLitter on a street or curb can wash directly into a stream.
Protect streambanksNative roots hold soil, filter runoff, and shade the water.

Understand the watershed

Understanding a creek means looking beyond the water.

A creek is habitat, drainage, groundwater connection, and a living corridor through the watershed.

What is a creek?

Meet the channel, bed, banks, seasonal flow, and the life that depends on moving water.

Explore creek basics

Watersheds

Learn why every driveway, lawn, parking lot, and forest slope affects the water below it.

See the whole system

Riparian zones

The green edge beside a stream filters runoff, cools water, supports wildlife, and holds soil in place.

Protect the creek edge

Recognize water threats

Recognize common threats before they spread downstream.

Nutrients, sediment, chemicals, and heat can change a healthy creek quickly. Recognition is the first step toward response.

Harmful algal blooms

Unusual scum, mats, paint-like streaks, or odors can signal a bloom that may threaten people and pets.

Spot a possible bloom

Nutrient pollution

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus can wash from land and feed uncontrolled algae growth.

Cut nutrients at the source

Dead zones

When algae decay, oxygen can disappear from water—showing how local runoff can create distant damage.

Follow the downstream effect

Care for local water

Start with the creek closest to home.

CreekKeeper supports year-round attention to the Johns Creek headwaters area and practical cleanup wherever water moves through a community.

Local focus

Johns Creek Headwaters

The local cleanup area follows Johns Creek near Vaughn Lake, Brookwood Road, and McGinnis Ferry Road. Much of the creek crosses private property, so access and permission matter.

See the local project
Before you step in

Clean safely. Document clearly.

  • Get property-owner permission.
  • Work with a partner and wear sturdy shoes and gloves.
  • Avoid deep, fast, contaminated, or storm-swollen water.
  • Sort debris and arrange proper disposal.
Open the cleanup guide

Practical steps

Help the next rain carry less pollution.

Much of creek protection happens before runoff reaches the channel. A few consistent habits can make a measurable difference.

Pick up curbside litterUse less fertilizerPlant a streamside bufferKeep leaves out of drainsReport spills

Resources

Continue with trusted water programs and practical guidance.

Rivers AliveGeorgia’s statewide volunteer waterway cleanup program.↗ EPA Watershed AcademyFree watershed education, modules, webinars, and publications.↗ USDA NRCS Riparian BuffersPractical guidance on trees and shrubs beside waterways.↗ EPA Harmful Algal BloomsIdentification, health information, and prevention resources.↗