319 Project

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Project Overview

Identification and Mitigation of Non-Point Sources of Fecal Coliform Bacteria and Low Dissolved Oxygen in Kingston Lake and Crabtree Creek (Waccamaw River Watershed)

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• Summary report of the results of the US EPA 319 Program Project (PDF document)

This project proposes to identify and quantify the nonpoint sources of fecal coliform bacteria and low dissolved oxygen in the Waccamaw River at two sites with documented problems, i.e. Crabtree Swamp and Kingston Lake, both of which receive drainage from the City of Conway as well as from neigboring rural areas. Both sites are on the state of South Carolina's 303(d) list (HUA #03040206-120). To quantify pollutant inputs from urban and rural settings, concentrations and water flows will be measured during storm and non-storm events throughout a one-year period at selected points in the aforementioned tributary streams and receiving water body, i.e. the Waccamaw River at Conway. This extended monitoring is necessary as the watershed's flows are strongly influenced by seasonal weather patterns as well as relatively random catastrophic events associated with flooding and hurricanes. Modeling efforts will be employed to assess the relative importance of each tributary to the BOD and fecal coliform levels observed in the River. Source tracing of fecal coliforms will also include use of a more specific indicator of human wastes (Enterococcus) as well as the inventory approach of Weisket et al. (1996). In the latter, the magnitude of potential coliform sources is estimated from existing inventories of animals (livestock, pets, wildlife) and average fecal production rates. Additional efforts will be made to estimate bacterial growth rates in the river during the summer as well as the potential for resuspension from sediments as a result of storm mixing and boat traffic.

Lead Agency and Contact

Coastal Carolina University—Center for Marine and Wetland Studies
Susan M. Libes, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Marine Science
Dr. Joe Bennett, Ph.D., Environmental Quality Lab Director
P.O. Box 261954, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528-6054
Phone: (843) 349-2048, FAX: (843) 349-2545

Cooperating Organizations