PROTECTING THE WACCAMAW WATERSHED. Water Quality Monitoring. Christine Ellis. Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER A Program of Winyah Rivers Foundation

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1 PROTECTING THE WACCAMAW WATERSHED Water Quality Monitoring Christine Ellis Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER A Program of Winyah Rivers Foundation

2 Focusing on the Waccamaw

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5 Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program Citizen-Based Projects Water Quality Monitoring Paddle Trail

6 Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project Waccamaw River Volunteer Monitoring Project in SC Funding Partners: US Environmental Protection Agency City of Conway Horry County Georgetown County International Paper Project Administration: Waccamaw Watershed Academy Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program

7 Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project SC Objectives: 1. Address NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Phase II program measures for public education and involvement 2. Assist in illicit discharge detection 3. Increase geographic and temporal coverage of water quality monitoring to assist in development of site specific water quality standards

8 Waccamaw River in SC Volunteer Water Monitoring Volunteers: 35+ volunteers in 6 sampling teams Sample twice monthly year round What do we monitor for? Conductivity Dissolved Oxygen ph Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite Turbidity E. coli

9 Water Quality Testing Dissolved Oxygen - a measure of the amount of elemental oxygen, the form required by animals & aerobic bacteria - meter uses an oxidation-reduction reaction to detect the presence and quantity of oxygen (extremely temperature dependent) - river water values vary from 40% (4 ppm) in the summer to 80% (8 ppm) in the winter - DO limit for the river is 4 ppm; fish and other oxygen dependent animals experience stress below this level Hach sension156 Portable Dissolved Oxygen Meter, with DO probe (1-meter cables)

10 Water Quality Testing ph - a measure of the acid content of the water sample - the meter also uses an oxidation-reduction reaction to detect the presence and amount of hydrogen ion (H+) in the sample - typical river water values range from 5 to 7 - sites with high conductivity often have a ph as high as fish experience stress at a ph below 5 Hach sension156 Portable ph Meter, with Gel-filled ph Electrode (1-meter cables)

11 Water Quality Testing Conductivity - a measure of the amount of dissolved solids which are primarily ions - meter detects the amount of electricity that is conducted by the water sample (the larger the amount of ions, the greater the amount of electricity conducted and hence conductivity of the sample) - values typically range from 40 to 140 µs cm in the river - sites greatly impacted by stormwater (runoff which contains high levels of dissolved solids) have values as high as 600) Hach sension5 Conductivity Meter, with electrode, 1-meter cable

12 Water Quality Testing Turbidity - a measure of the particle content of the water sample - meter detects the amount of light reflected by the particles - typical river water values range from 5 to 10 NTUs (nephelometric turbidity units) - values in excess of 10 NTUs indicate a soil erosion event - high particle concentrations are stressful to fish and filter feeding microorganisms because it clogs their gills and can affect the bottom dwelling organisms as the particles settle out and blanket the river bottom 2100P Portable Turbidimeter

13 Water Quality Testing Nutrients - Nitrogen compounds (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia) are products of nitrification - the simplest way to denote nitrification is as follows: Dissolved organic matter nitrogen ==> Ammonium ==> Nitrite ==> Nitrate Nitrate/Nitrite Test Strips - typical river water nitrate values range from 0 to 0.2 mg N per liter of sample (or ppm N) - concentrations greater than 1 ppm N are usually the result of stormwater runoff associated with sewage or fertilizers (the degradation of sewage generates dissolved nitrogen as nitrate and fertilizers contain nitrogen as nitrate) Ammonia Test Strips - high nitrate levels can stimulate algal growth and lead to eutrophication

14 Water Quality Testing Bacteria (E. coli) - a measure of the levels of pathogenic microbes that are present in the water - E. coli bacteria are present in the feces of warm-blooded animals - EPA recommends measurement of E. coli as an indicator of pathogen presence in freshwaters - water quality standard is 235 CFU/100 ml for single samples (waters with greater values are considered polluted, with swimmers being at increased risk of contracting gasteroenteritis)

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23 Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project Expansion into NC partnership: Lake Waccamaw State Park Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Southeastern Community College Town of Lake Waccamaw NC Division of Water Quality Columbus County Health Department Local community groups (Friends of Lake Waccamaw State Park, Friends of the Green Swamp) University of NC Wilmington Coastal Carolina University s Waccamaw Watershed Academy

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26 Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project 4 4 monitoring sites on Lake Waccamaw Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, ph, Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Turbidity, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Phosphorus, E. coli, Fecal Coliform 14 monitoring sites on Waccamaw River in SC) River (2 in NC, 12 Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, ph, Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Turbidity, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, E. coli

27 Volunteer Monitoring - Equipment Costs Item Dissolved Oxygen/ ph (Hach( Meter sension 5) Conductivity/ Total Dissolved Solids- (Hach Meter sension 5) Cost of item $ 1350 $625 Turbidity- (Hach Meter 2100 P) $925 Meter batteries $20 E. Coli incubator ( 2 needed) $ 1300 ($ 650 per incubator) Blacklight $150 DI bottle $10 Stopwatch $20 Sampling Table $20 Cooler with ice pack/thermometer $50 Informational Binder $100 Sample pole/sample bottle $60 Total $4630

28 Volunteer Monitoring - Consumables Item Cost of item Nitrate/ Nitrite test strips $2 per strip x 24 = $48 Ammonia test strips $2 per strip x 24 = $48 E. Coli bacteria supplies (sterile bottle, dropper, ColiScan Easy Gel) $2 per sample x 24 = $48 Volunteer Monitoring - Analytical Costs Item Cost of Item Phosphorous $11.20 per sample x 84 samples = $941 Fecal Coliform $11.90 per sample x 84 samples = $1000

29 Volunteer Monitoring - Project Costs Equipment Costs Cost of Consumables Analytical Costs Data QA/QC Totals $3200/kit X 3 kits= $9,600 Lake: $6 x 7 x 12= $504 Lake: ($ $11.90) x 7 x ($25 per hr) x (15 hrs per month) x $650/incubator X River: $6 x 4 x12= 12= $ = $ incubators = $1,300/blacklight X 1 = $150 $288 River= none $ 11,050 $ 812 $ 1,941 $ 4,500 $ 18,303

30 Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER Program We re serious about protecting our watershed!