Watersheds & Water Quality in Murrells Inlet
Table of Contents
- Murrells Inlet is a Watershed
- Watershed based plan approved in 2014
- Timeline of Water Quality Story in Murrells Inlet
- Explore the Stories and Video
- For More Information
Murrells Inlet is a Watershed
The Murrells Inlet watershed is located in the Long Bay region of South Carolina and drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary contains high-salinity, which creates an ideal habitat for shellfish. The estuary’s high productivity supports the Murrells Inlet local economy, which is centered around coastal tourism. However, high fecal bacteria contamination has threatened the shellfish industry due to closures of important oyster beds. A watershed-based plan has been put into action to remedy the effects of the fecal bacteria pollution.
Watershed based plan approved by SC DHEC in 2014
Read the watershed-based plan
Why the plan was developed
- To remediate long standing fecal bacteria pollution causing shellfish bed closures
- Required by SC DHEC TMDL issued in 2005
- Volunteer water quality monitoring program started in 2008 to locate fecal bacteria sources
Who developed the plan and who is implementing it
- Waccamaw Regional Council of Government
- Murrells Inlet 2020
- Horry County Stormwater
- Georgetown County Stormwater
- Waccamaw Watershed Academy
- South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control watershed
Timeline of Water Quality Story in Murrells Inlet
1970s - South Carolina Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) regularly found high levels of fecal bacteria during routine shellfish sampling. This sampling was part of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. The high levels of fecal bacteria pollution led to closure of the contaminated shellfish beds. This is recorded in the annual shellfish management reports for Area 04.
1980s - The contaminated waters in Murrells Inlet were added to the Clean Water Act's Federal List of Impaired Waters, known as the 303(d) list. A Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, was required to be performed to identify how much of a reduction of the pollutant would need to be achieved for the impaired waters to come into compliance with federal regulation.
2005 - The TMDL was approved by SC DHEC. It showed that an 80% reduction of the fecal bacteria pollution was needed to meet regulation. It didn't, however, identify where in the landscape the fecal bacteria pollution was come from. The final report suggested monitoring should be continued.
2007 - SC DHEC Ocean Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) developed a Special Area Management Plan (not finalized) to remediate the waters. During this time the EQL performed the first measurements in upland streams and found the fecal bacteria pollution.
2008 - Murrells Inlet 2020 in conjuction with the Waccamaw Watershed Academy and EQL develop the first volunteer water quality monitoring program in Murrells Inlet.
2014 - SC DHEC Bureau of Water funded development of watershed-based plan. The watershed-based plan was approved by SC DHEC. Remediation efforts began with the installation of the first best management practices (BMPs).
2014 - 2017 - Microbial source tracking was performed to find geographic and host animal sources.
2017 - They started the assessment of the BMPs to determine effectiveness. They also sought to identify new BMPs to be implimented at other sites.
For more details about these events, explore the stories and video posted below.
For more information contact Murrells Inlet 2020
