Grantee Research Project Results
Tidal Creek Monitoring and Reporting Program
EPA Grant Number: R829322Title: Tidal Creek Monitoring and Reporting Program
Investigators: Cabiness, Laura , Sanger, Denise , Conlon, Kevin , Vaughn, Tracy
Current Investigators: Cabiness, Laura , Vaughn, Tracy
Institution: City of Charleston , United States Geological Survey , South Carolinia Department of Natural Resources
Current Institution: City of Charleston
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2003
Project Amount: $399,788
RFA: Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Environmental Statistics , Water , Air
Description:
The City of Charleston is collaborating with the SC Department of Natural Resources, the US Geological Survey, and the SC Aquarium to assess the impacts of storm water runoff on tidal creeks in the metropolitan area. Project investigators will monitor water quality and quantity in four representative tidal creeks following storm events, and track nutrient loading data collected from atmospheric sources at a fifth site. The almost real-time data will be presented via the City of Charleston's EMPACT web site. Information will also be provided to the public through a kiosk at the SC Aquarium, at neighborhood meetings, and in radio and television announcements. Objectives: Related studies have identified tidal creeks as the first order connection between land-based activities and estuarine environmental quality. Estimation of pollutant loadings into tidal creeks and determination of the consequences of these loadings to water quality and sediment quality in the estuarine portion of those creeks is essential for developing effective storm water management, land use, and remedial action plans. Providing this information to resource managers, policymakers, and the general public will increase awareness of the risks from non-point source pollution and support regulatory decisions and the use of preventive measures.
Approach:
Project investigators will monitor water quality during and following storm events in four local tidal creeks, selected to represent the various types and levels of land use found in the Charleston area, including urban, high density suburban, medium density suburban, and undeveloped. Water and sediment quality samples will be collected in the headwaters of each tidal creek, as well as in areas further downstream. Rainfall, streamflow, specific conductance, and temperature will be monitored continuously and the provisional data disseminated to the public in almost real time (hourly) through a combination of satellite, land-line or radio telemetry and web sites. Water quality data collected from samples at these sites and data from the atmospheric deposition site will also be provided to the public in a timely manner. The City and the SC Aquarium will conduct an extensive educational campaign to ensure that this information is relevant and useful to the area's residents.Expected Results:
It is anticipated that the results of the water quality sampling in Charleston will parallel the findings reported in other communities, specifically that stormwater from residential land-use basins has higher concentrations of total nitrogen, fecal coliform bacteria, and organic compounds than runoff from other land-use types. The data should also support earlier research suggesting that development in the watersheds is contributing to a significant pollution threat in the associated tidal creeks. Through the provision of educational information, it is expected that citizens will gain a better understanding of the impacts of their daily activities on water quality, the significant health risks associated with fishing or swimming in impaired waters, and the importance of implementing practices and policies that minimize negative impacts.Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 3 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
atmospheric deposition; water; stormwater; watershed; estuary; tidal creek; risk; health effects; public policy; monitoring; precipitation; nitrogen; bacteria; organic compound; land use; remediation; satellite; telemetry, RESEARCH, RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Water, ECOSYSTEMS, Ecological Risk Assessment, Ground Water, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Urban and Regional Planning, Watersheds, Monitoring/Modeling, Wet Weather Flows, Water & Watershed, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, Monitoring, lake ecosysyems, stream ecosystems, water quality, water management options, aquatic ecosystem, community-based approach, ecological models, watershed assessment, watershed restoration, community outreach, streams, community partnerships, remote sensing, sediment transport, wetlands, community water quality information system, storm water, Storm Water Management Model, ecology assessment models, land use, community tracking, land management, nutrient transport model, stormwater, hydrologic dynamics, stormwater runoff, Tidal Creek, aquatic ecosystems, nutrient transport, EMPACT, nutrient monitoring , stream ecosystem, atmospheric processes, nutrients, downstream effectsProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.