E. coli, Swimming Safety, Citizen Science, and YOU!

Any day now, temperatures should drop, and we will begin what I believe to be the best season in South Carolina – the Fall! This is not just a football-induced admiration. Fall is a great time to be outdoors and on the water. It’s also our best season to appreciate the culinary treasures of our estuaries – shrimp and oysters!

SC DHEC is our state’s authority on monitoring and managing the safety and suitability of waterways to serve drinking water, ecosystem, and recreational uses. The state maintains approximately 800 monitoring stations where water chemistry and bacteria are measured. In DHEC’s 2018 assessment of sites, 318 of these monitoring stations failed to meet standards for bacteria. Of these, 261 sites were in freshwater and failed due to E. coli colonies above acceptable limits for swimming and contact recreation. While E. coli may trigger thoughts of headlines and food recalls, E. coli is also the national recommended parameter to determine safety of our swimming freshwaters by the US Environmental Protection Agency. (In saltwater, recreational safety is determined by measuring a different bacteria, Enterococcus.)

While some E. coli is harmless and even has beneficial uses, some specific strains of E. coli can be dangerous and potentially life-threatening. E. coli is found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals; therefore, its presence in a river is an indication of fecal-related pollution. This could include more harmful bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. More information on E. coli and waterway health will soon be available in an HGIC factsheet.

Whether you live in a rural community or in one of South Carolina’s growing cities, healthy waterways are a part of our culture, enjoyment, and economic prosperity.

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