waccamaw riverkeeper® program christine ellis, … ellis waccamaw riverkeeper® ... hach sension156...

PROTECTING THE WACCAMAW WATERSHED …

Water Quality Monitoring

Christine EllisWaccamaw RIVERKEEPER®

A Program of Winyah Rivers Foundation

Focusing on the Waccamaw

Waccamaw RIVERKEEPER® Program

Citizen-Based Projects

Water Quality Monitoring Paddle Trail

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


http://www.internationalpaper.com/index.html


SC Objectives:

1.

Address NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Phase II program measures for public education and involvement

2.

Assist in illicit discharge detection3.

Increase geographic and temporal coverage of water quality monitoring to assist in development of site specific water quality standards

Waccamaw River in SC Volunteer Water Monitoring

Volunteers:Volunteers: 35+ volunteers in 6 sampling teams35+ volunteers in 6 sampling teams

Sample twice monthly year roundSample twice monthly year round

What do we monitor for?What do we monitor for? ConductivityConductivity

Dissolved OxygenDissolved Oxygen

pHpH

Ammonia, Nitrate, NitriteAmmonia, Nitrate, Nitrite

TurbidityTurbidity

E. coliE. coli

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)


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 8.2

- fish experience stress at a pH below 5

Hach sensION156 Portable pH Meter, with Gel-filled pH Electrode (1-meter cables)


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


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


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

- 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)

- high nitrate levels can stimulate algal growth and lead to eutrophication

Ammonia Test Strips

Nitrate/Nitrite Test Strips


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)


Expansion into NC partnership:Expansion into NC partnership:

Lake Lake WaccamawWaccamaw State ParkState Park

WaccamawWaccamaw RIVERKEEPERRIVERKEEPER®®

Southeastern Community CollegeSoutheastern Community College

Town of Lake Town of Lake WaccamawWaccamaw

NC Division of Water QualityNC Division of Water Quality

Columbus County Health DepartmentColumbus County Health Department

Local community groups (Friends of Lake Local community groups (Friends of Lake WaccamawWaccamaw State Park, Friends of the Green State Park, Friends of the Green Swamp)Swamp)

University of NC University of NC –– WilmingtonWilmington

Coastal Carolina UniversityCoastal Carolina University’’s s WaccamawWaccamaw Watershed AcademyWatershed Academy

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Now let’s zoom in on one of the subbasins, the Waccamaw – 1.2 million acres. The flows in this subbasin are conducted through the Waccamaw River. Headwaters are in the vast swamps of NC. The river is highly unusual in that it runs parallel to the coast before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Winyah Bay. Very little elevation along the Waccamaw, it is rather slow flowing and is bordered by wide expanses of blackwater swamps. The Waccamaw Subbasin is partitioned into 13 subbasins technically referred to as “watersheds”. The red box contains the only watershed with an urban area, the city of Conway.

4 monitoring sites on Lake 4 monitoring sites on Lake WaccamawWaccamaw

Conductivity, Total Dissolved Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Solids, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Turbidity, Nitrate, Temperature, Turbidity, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Phosphorus, E. Nitrite, Ammonia, Phosphorus, E. coli, Fecal Coliformcoli, Fecal Coliform

14 monitoring sites on 14 monitoring sites on WaccamawWaccamaw River River (2 in NC, 12 (2 in NC, 12 in SC)in SC)

Conductivity, Total Dissolved Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Solids, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Turbidity, Nitrate, Temperature, Turbidity, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, E. coliNitrite, Ammonia, E. coli


Presenter

Presentation Notes

Now let’s zoom in on one of the subbasins, the Waccamaw – 1.2 million acres. The flows in this subbasin are conducted through the Waccamaw River. Headwaters are in the vast swamps of NC. The river is highly unusual in that it runs parallel to the coast before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Winyah Bay. Very little elevation along the Waccamaw, it is rather slow flowing and is bordered by wide expanses of blackwater swamps. The Waccamaw Subbasin is partitioned into 13 subbasins technically referred to as “watersheds”. The red box contains the only watershed with an urban area, the city of Conway.

Volunteer Monitoring Volunteer Monitoring -- Equipment CostsEquipment Costs

ItemItem Cost of itemCost of itemDissolved Oxygen/ pH (Dissolved Oxygen/ pH (HachHach Meter Meter

sensIONsensION 5)5)$ 1350$ 1350

Conductivity/ Total Dissolved Conductivity/ Total Dissolved SolidsSolids-- ((HachHach Meter Meter sensIONsensION 5)5)

$625$625

TurbidityTurbidity-- ((HachHach Meter 2100 P)Meter 2100 P) $925$925Meter batteriesMeter batteries $20$20

E. Coli incubator ( 2 needed)E. Coli incubator ( 2 needed) $ 1300 ($ 650 per incubator) $ 1300 ($ 650 per incubator) BlacklightBlacklight $150$150DI bottleDI bottle $10$10

StopwatchStopwatch $20$20Sampling TableSampling Table $20$20

Cooler with ice pack/thermometerCooler with ice pack/thermometer $50$50Informational BinderInformational Binder $100$100

Sample pole/Sample bottleSample pole/Sample bottle $60$60

TotalTotal $4630$4630

Volunteer Volunteer Monitoring -- ConsumablesConsumablesItem Item Cost of itemCost of itemNitrate/ Nitrite test stripsNitrate/ Nitrite test strips $2 per strip x 24 = $48$2 per strip x 24 = $48

Ammonia test stripsAmmonia test strips $2 per strip x 24 = $48$2 per strip x 24 = $48E. Coli bacteria supplies (sterile E. Coli bacteria supplies (sterile bottle, dropper, bottle, dropper, ColiScanColiScan Easy Gel)Easy Gel)

$2 per sample x 24 = $48$2 per sample x 24 = $48

Volunteer Monitoring - Analytical Costs

ItemItem Cost of ItemCost of Item

PhosphorousPhosphorous $11.20 per sample x 84 samples = $11.20 per sample x 84 samples = $941$941

Fecal ColiformFecal Coliform $11.90 per sample x 84 samples = $11.90 per sample x 84 samples = $1000$1000

Volunteer Monitoring Volunteer Monitoring -- Project CostsProject Costs

Equipment Equipment CostsCosts

Cost of Cost of ConsumablesConsumables

Analytical Analytical CostsCosts

Data QA/QCData QA/QC TotalsTotals

$3200/kit X 3 $3200/kit X 3 kits= $9,600kits= $9,600$650/incubator X $650/incubator X 2 incubators = 2 incubators = $1,300/blacklight $1,300/blacklight X 1 = $150X 1 = $150

Lake: $6 x 7 x 12= Lake: $6 x 7 x 12= $504$504River: $6 x 4 x12= River: $6 x 4 x12= $288$288

Lake: ($11.20 + Lake: ($11.20 + $11.90) x 7 x $11.90) x 7 x 12= 12= $1941$1941River= noneRiver= none

($25 per hr) x (15 ($25 per hr) x (15 hrs per month) x hrs per month) x 12 = $450012 = $4500

$ 11,050$ 11,050 $ 812$ 812 $ 1,941$ 1,941 $ 4,500$ 4,500 $ 18,303$ 18,303


We’re serious about protecting our watershed!

waccamaw riverkeeper® program christine ellis, … ellis waccamaw riverkeeper® ... hach sension156...

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