Coastal Subbasin

A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches

In July 2009, the Natural Resources Defense Council released its report, Testing the Waters, A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches.

This report confirms that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk. The main culprit? Stormwater runoff that carries bacteria and other pollutants into our public waterways.

For more information and to view the report, click here.

Volunteer Monitoring in the Coastal Subbasin

Coastal Carolina University's Waccamaw Watershed Academy administers a volunteer water quality monitoring project in Murrells Inlet and in Surfside Beach.  Teams sample for several water quality parameters, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrients and bacteria.  These data are recorded in an online database and can be accessed, along with other information on the project, at Coastal Carolina University's Waccamaw Watershed Academy website.