All sites on the lower Neuse River passed the Swim Guide test this week, save one: Slocum Creek in Havelock. For seven weeks, water sampled from the site has failed to meet state and federal recreational water-quality standards — sometimes spectacularly. The ongoing issue has prompted an investigation by Sound Rivers’ Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register.
“(Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop) Sam and I have been spending a lot of time trying to narrow down any potential causes. In addition to my weekly Swim Guide testing at this site, I’ve started collecting other water-quality parameters so that we can develop baseline results for Slocum Creek,” Register said. “So far, we know for certain that there are extremely high levels of fecal contamination in Slocum Creek that is also causing hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen). Our next step is to try and figure out the source of this contamination.”
Sound Rivers reported Slocum Creek’s consecutive weeks of high levels of E. coli to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Though NCDEQ did investigate, staff was unable to identify an obvious source of the pollution. Sound Rivers is now taking its investigation a step farther with DNA testing.
Register took samples this week to be analyzed for DNA — finding out whether it’s human or animal, and which species of animal, will provide a clear starting point to determine the source of the pollution and how it gets into the creek. Register said she’s leaning toward human contamination based on Havelock’s past issues with sanitary sewer overflows and the need for the state to intervene to fix the town’s sewage problems.
“With Slocum Creek being the only water access open to the public in the Havelock area, we are trying to do whatever we can to get to the bottom of this so residents have a safe place to enjoy their local waterway,” Register said.
Elevated levels of fecal bacteria in the water come with increased risk of gastrointestinal illness and skin infections for pets and humans alike.
Swim Guide is an international water-quality program conducted locally by Sound Rivers, an environmental nonprofit based in Raleigh, New Bern and Washington with a mission to keep North Carolina’s waterways fishable, swimmable and drinkable.
Each week, a team of Sound Rivers’ volunteers gathers water samples at 54 popular recreation sites from the Piedmont to the Pamlico Sound. Sound Rivers’ staff test samples for E. coli in fresh water and enterococci in salt water and pass/fail results are released to the public, providing an easy way to find out where it’s safe to swim.
Seventeen of the 54 sites are located in the lower Neuse River basin: Oak Bluff Road and Highway 11 boat ramp near Kinston; Core Creek Landing at Fort Barnwell; Cowpen Landing and Spring Garden boat ramps; Glenburnie Park, Town of Bridgeton Park, Black Beard Sailing Club on upper Broad Creek, Lawson Creek Park, River Bend kayak launch, Trent Woods and Brice’s Creek — all in or near New Bern; the East Street boat ramp in Pollocksville; Slocum Creek boat ramp in Havelock; Rice Creek off the Bay River; and the Midyette Street boat ramp and Sea Harbour Yacht Club at Pierce Creek in Oriental.
Sound Rivers’ Swim Guide program is sponsored by the Water-Quality Fund in memory of Gene Pate, Grady-White Boats, Public Radio East, Cummins, UNC Lenoir Health Care, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, UNC Pavel Molchanov Scholars, ECU SECU Public Fellows Internship Foundation, City of Greenville, Lake Royale Property Owners Association, Melinda Vann and David Silberstein, and Wendy and Tim Wilson.
To sign up for Swim Guide notifications, go to soundrivers.org/swimguide or text “SWIM” to 33222 for weekly water-quality text updates. For more information about Sound Rivers, visit soundrivers.org.
By Sound Rivers