CPE - New Hanover County Tidal Creeks Water Quality Monitoring Project.

The creeks in New Hanover County, North Carolina provide a wide range of recreational opportunities to the thousands of local citizens and visiting tourists each year. Protection of the water quality within these creeks is a high priority of the County. Since 1993, New Hanover County has administered a water quality monitoring project designed to assess the water quality within many of the creeks located within the County. In November 2007, New Hanover County funded Coastal Planning and Engineering of North Carolina, Inc. to monitor the water quality within a network of seven creeks within the County. These creeks include Pages Creek and Futch Creek, which drain into the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Motts Creek, Barnards Creek, Lords Creek, Smith Creek, and Prince Georges Creek, which drain into the Cape Fear River.

Data will be collected from a total of 22 sampling stations located within the watersheds of these seven creeks on a monthly basis for a period of eight months. Water samples will be collected during a high ebb tide from the surface at each site. These samples will be analyzed for a suite of chemical and biological parameters by Tritest Inc. of Wilmington, North Carolina. All analyses performed by Tritest, Inc. will be conducted utilizing standard EPA approved methods. A 6820 YSI probe will be used to collect physical measurements from the surface at each site. These measurements will also be collected close to the bottom at sites deeper than 0.5 meters deep. Specific parameters monitored in this study includes:

Physical Parameters

dissolved oxygen
salinity
conductivity
turbidity
temperature

Chemical Parameters

nitrate/nitrite
orthophosphate

Biological Parameters

enterococcoci bacteria
fecal coliform bacteria (Pages and Futch Creek only)
chlorophyll-a

Each month, trained volunteers from Cape Fear Community College’s Marine Technology Department will assist Coastal Planning and Engineering of North Carolina, Inc. staff with the collection of water samples.

A Microsoft Access database has been created to store all physical, chemical, and biological data. The data will be posted and updated on a regular basis on the New Hanover County’s Water Quality Monitoring website providing the County and the public easy access . Over the course of this eight month study, two progress reports and one final report will be submitted to New Hanover County.

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	New Hanover County Water Quality Monitoring Program
	Pictures
	The creeks in New Hanover County, North Carolina provide a wide range of recreational opportunities to the thousands of local citizens and visiting tourists each year. Protection of the water quality within these creeks is a high priority of the County. Since 1993, New Hanover County has administered a water quality monitoring project designed to assess the water quality within many of the creeks located within the County. In November 2007, New Hanover County funded Coastal Planning and Engineering of North Carolina, Inc. to monitor the water quality within a network of seven creeks within the County. These creeks include Pages Creek and Futch Creek, which drain into the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Motts Creek, Barnards Creek, Lords Creek, Smith Creek, and Prince Georges Creek, which drain into the Cape Fear River. Data will be collected from a total of 22 sampling stations located within the watersheds of these seven creeks on a monthly basis for a period of eight months. Water samples will be collected during a high ebb tide from the surface at each site. These samples will be analyzed for a suite of chemical and biological parameters by Tritest Inc. of Wilmington, North Carolina. All analyses performed by Tritest, Inc. will be conducted utilizing standard EPA approved methods. A 6820 YSI probe will be used to collect physical measurements from the surface at each site. These measurements will also be collected close to the bottom at sites deeper than 0.5 meters deep. Specific parameters monitored in this study includes: Physical Parameters dissolved oxygen salinity conductivity turbidity temperature Chemical Parameters nitrate/nitrite orthophosphate Biological Parameters enterococcoci bacteria fecal coliform bacteria (Pages and Futch Creek only) chlorophyll-a Each month, trained volunteers from Cape Fear Community College’s Marine Technology Department will assist Coastal Planning and Engineering of North Carolina, Inc. staff with the collection of water samples. A Microsoft Access database has been created to store all physical, chemical, and biological data. The data will be posted and updated on a regular basis on the New Hanover County’s Water Quality Monitoring website providing the County and the public easy access . Over the course of this eight month study, two progress reports and one final report will be submitted to New Hanover County. Top
	Pictures Prince Georges Creek at Castle Hayne Road. View is looking downstream Lords Creek at River Road. View is looking downstream Top