See the Latest Water Quality Monitoring Data from the FoRR Monitoring Team!

FoRR took to the river on June 11 and 16 to monitor at five sites in the Reedy River watershed! Our sites include the following:

• Site #1: Reedy River along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, downstream of Swamp Rabbit Cafe
• Site #2: A small tributary of the Reedy River in Falls Park 
• Site #3: Reedy River behind the ReWa headquarters (near our new office!)
• Site #4: A tributary on Greenville Tech's Brashier campus in Simpsonville
• Site #5: A tributary in Cedar Falls Park in Simpsonville

The pH results for June were consistent with May's findings at all five of our reported sites. Our conductivity results for all sites were also similar to last month's findings for most sites, with the only notable deviations occurring at Falls Park, which showed a 50 µS/cm decrease, and Greenville Tech Brashier, which showed a 60 µS/cm increase. While these changes are notable this month, they are not cause for concern and are likely due to natural fluctuations within the stream systems.

The dissolved oxygen (DO) levels decreased by an average of 0.32 mg/L across all sites (compare to the 0.7 mg/L decrease we saw from April to May), with an increased DO count at Falls Park serving as the outlier (increase of 1.0 mg/L). The average water temperatures for all sites when sampled at their regularly monitored time increased by an average of 3.6 degrees Celsius. The water temperatures at Cedar Falls Park and Greenville Tech Brashier increased by 6 degrees at both sites compared to the only 2 degree water temperature increase at the other three sites farther upstream in the watershed. The DO levels at Cedar Falls, Greenville Tech Brashier, and Swamp Rabbit Cafe showed decreased levels from May's results. As water temperatures remain high, DO levels will remain low and may even continue to decrease throughout the warmer months and into the fall until we experience cooler temperatures. Dissolved Oxygen and temperature have an inverse relationship: the warmer the temperature, the lower the water's capacity to hold DO!

June's E. coli bacteria levels showed slight changes this month. Our site near Falls Park returned to the level of E. coli bacteria that we would typically find at that site during this time of year (300 CFU/100mL), compared to the significantly low count of only 66.67 CFU/100mL found in May. This is the site that showed the largest increase in E. coli CFU counts this month. Swamp Rabbit Cafe, Cedar Falls Park, and Greenville Tech Brashier experienced slight increases. The E.coli bacteria levels decreased at ReWa, but only by the small amount of 67 CFU/100mL. The increases at all other sites are consistent with levels we expect to see this time of year and all fall below the threshold of "high" bacteria levels.

We have included this month's results along with SC's state standards for comparison below. All results were within state standards.

Data from June 2022:

• pH is a way of measuring the H+ ions in a water sample, or if the sample is acidic or basic. pH is influenced by the concentration of acids in rain, and the types of soils and bedrock present in the watershed. Ideally, rivers will have a neutral pH, or a value of 7.
• The available dissolved oxygen (DO) in a water sample is important for fish health and life within a body of water. DO can increase in lower temperatures, turbulence in the water, photosynthesis in the stream, and diffusion from the atmosphere. DO can decrease in higher temperatures, in slow-moving and deep water, and in the presence of decaying organic matter.
• Conductivity is the ability of the water to pass an electric charge and shows the presence of ions in the water, such as salt, nitrate, phosphate, and many others. The bedrock in the watershed can also affect conductivity
• Bacteria counts are found by incubating a water sample that was placed on a medium, then counting the number of coliform forming units. These values are higher in areas where animals are present so always remember to pick up after your pets and don't feed the geese in the park!

THE FORR MONITORING TEAM USES SC ADOPT-A-STREAM TECHNIQUES AND HAS ITS OWN MONITORING KIT, THANKS TO IVY SALON!

SIGN UP TO JOIN THE FORR MONITORING TEAM HERE!

SEE THE UPCOMING SC ADOPT-A-STREAM WORKSHOPS HERE!