As temperatures rise and the summer brings yet another Shark Week to thrill TV viewers, scientists with South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are focused on a less storied kind of ocean predator — the microscopic kind.
Starting May 1, DHEC will resume its annual water-quality monitoring program at 122 “hotspots” along the South Carolina coast. Samples will be collected and tested weekly or biweekly, depending on location. The organism being testing for — enterococci bacteria — is not dangerous in and of itself, but at high levels can signal the presence of other, more dangerous organisms.
“If levels of enterococci bacteria exceed the standard limit, we quickly issue a short-term swimming advisory for that portion of the beach to help alert beachgoers,” DHEC’s Bryan Rabon said in a release. “A swimming advisory doesn’t mean a beach is closed. It just means that particular area of ocean water should be avoided until the bacteria levels return to normal. Most short-term swimming advisories last just a single day.”
Last year – and inland from area beaches – Charleston Waterkeeper monitored more than 20 creek sites around Charleston County during the summer and found that three consistently had dangerous bacteria levels. According to a Sept. 1 story, “Filbin Creek in North Charleston, part of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant and at Ellis Creek near Folly Road on James Island have had levels of dangerous bacteria that have been off the charts.”
When there are beach issues, DHEC posts notices
When high levels of enterococci are detected, DHEC posts swimming advisory notices at the affected beach and online at its S.C. Beach Access and Water Quality Guide website.
And while DHEC says it’s “considered safe to wade, collect shells and fish” in swimming advisory areas, they recommend that beach-goers exercise caution.
“We advise people who enter the water in an affected area to refrain from swallowing it, and we also advise people with open wounds or compromised immune systems to avoid contact with the water in a swim advisory area,” Rabon said.
Some advice for the program
Charleston Waterkeeper Andrew Wunderly is a fan of the monitoring program.
“DHEC’s beach monitoring program is great,” Wunderly told the City Paper this week “Letting folks know when and where it’s safe to swim is absolutely critical.”
That said, Wunderly does offer two caveats. First, he said he’d like to see DHEC publish full testing results on its website, rather than a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down on each location. And second, he said he thinks the state legislature needs to provide DHEC with additional resources for more testing at a larger number of locations.
“DHEC’s basic posture is ‘just assume it’s fine unless we tell you otherwise,’” Wunderly said, with regard to publishing full test results. “Waterkeeper thinks you ought to give the public all the information and let them make an informed choice.”
In terms of additional testing, Wunderly’s group tries to fill the gap in the Charleston area with its own Swim Alert program for tidal creeks and rivers, which aren’t covered by DHEC. The program uses the same technology as DHEC’s and provides public notice through its social media accounts and email lists every Friday morning.
“Our creeks and rivers a lot of times don’t test safe for recreational activities,” Wunderly said. “So it’s really important that folks pay attention and have a good understanding of where it tests good and where it doesn’t.”
The DHEC and Waterkeeper testing programs run through the end of October.
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