Water Quality Monitoring Program

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

New Hanover County (NHC), North Carolina’s Water Quality Monitoring Program allows staff to measure the impact of land use and other development decisions on water quality. Water quality has been monitored in NHC since the early 1970s by the State in efforts to study the impacts to water quality in tidal creeks from adjacent septic systems. Tidal creeks are not only used for recreation but are an important resource for the natural environment as they provide habitat for various plant and animal species. In addition to monthly monitoring of tidal creeks in the unincorporated county, there have been efforts from NHC to improve overall water quality including the purchasing of property with Clean Water Management Trust Funds, working with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) to test sewer infrastructure, install stormwater best manage practices, and perform additional source tracking. Since 2007, water quality monitoring efforts within the Pages Creek watershed have documented chronically elevated levels of Enterococci bacteria. Since then, the county has funded four tracking studies to determine the origins of the bacteria, including a thermal imaging study. Determining the source of the contamination is necessary in order to address resident health and quality of life concerns.