[1] The creek drains a watershed area of 192 square kilometres (74 square miles),[2] and is the primary source of potable water for Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe, thanks to the 150 km2 (58 sq mi) Turtle Creek reservoir and the Moncton Water Treatment Plant.

[1][3] Turtle Creek is one of the Petitcodiac River's main right tributaries,[4] and is therefore part of its 2,831 km2 (1,093 sq mi) drainage basin.

[7] It has also been the centre of controversies regarding the province's push to begin uranium exploration and gas and oil tests in the area, in spite of the boundaries set on the surroundings.

[2][12] In spite of this rating, E. coli and sediment levels were found to be "unusually high", which, according to the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance, was caused by the ongoing expansion of the river's reservoir.

[14] In the same report, 63 of 576 (10.94%) water samples returned a Heterotropic Plate Count—the "general bacteria population" present—of over 10 cfu/mL, but never exceeded the 500 cfu/mL threshold.