Water Quality

The number one threat to our local rivers is the cumulative impact of water running off from yards, parking lots, developments, and improperly maintained residential septic tanks. Every Lowcountry resident must understand that he or she can either pollute or protect the waterway closest to them. Stewardship of our waterways must become the responsibility of the community itself.

WATER QUALITY QUESTIONS

Water Quality: What does this mean?
Water quality generally refers to the "healthiness" of a water body such a river, stream, lake, tidal creeks, or estuary. A water body's healthiness is determined by a number of measurements: (1) the amount of oxygen in the water; (2) water clarity, often referred to as turbidity; (3) nutrient levels (the amount of nitrates and phosphates in the water); (4) bacteria levels, specifically fecal coliform that associated with pet and wildlife waste; and (5) the type and abundance of plants and animals that exist in a particular area.

What does healthy water look like?
Many people look at our rivers and tidal creeks and assume that they are unhealthy because of its dark appearance. Our rivers, tidal creeks, and estuaries are darker in color because of its biological richness; many plants and animals live within the water column and are essential to the healthiness of marine ecosystems. Signs of unhealthy waters may include heavily disturbed landscapes; removal of vegetated buffers along waterways that creates a situation where pollutants can easily enter the water; cloudiness due to suspended sediment in the water; and excessive plant growth that is commonly a result of nutrients running off from land and into a river or creek.

What is the primary cause of water pollution?
The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes non-point source pollution, or polluted runoff, as the number one cause of water quality degradation of our nation's waters. Polluted runoff is the result of gas and oil from cars, pesticides and fertilizers from yards, debris, sediment from disturbed landscapes being washed by rain water into nearby waterways.

What does non-point source pollution look like?
Step outside on a rainy day; the water you see flowing across your driveway, neighborhood streets, and parking lots (only to name a few) will ultimately go down a stormwater drain and be deposited into a nearby waterway.

FACTS

Beaufort County is one-half land and one-half water; 337,983 square miles of water and marshlands, and 330,895 square miles of upland.

Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW) in Beaufort County include Callawassie Creek, Chechessee Creek, Okatie River, May River, Sawmill Creek, Fripp Inlet, Harbor River and Johnson Creek.

The Beaufort County Critical and Rural Lands Board has purchased 8800 acres for preservation or conservation. More then 20,000 acres have been protected in total throughout Beaufort County.

Preserves in Beaufort County include: Pritchards Island, Sea Pines, Pinckney Island, Victoria Bluff, Newhall Preserve and Whooping Crane Conservancy.

Hunting Island was acquired by Beaufort County and became a state park in 1938. It includes 5000 acres of beaches, maritime forest and saltwater marshes.

A total of nine artificial reefs exist in the waters surrounding Beaufort County. This has been a cooperative effort between government and local fishing groups.

These facts were taken from Friends of the Rivers publication, “Fifty Years of Environmental Heritage-The Story of Beaufort County.”