Janice E. Nearhoof, Research Associate

Department of Biological Sciences

University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403

Phone: (910) 962-7338; Fax: (910) 962-4066; E-mail: nearhoofj@uncwil.edu

Lawrence B. Cahoon, Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403

Public responses to a water quality monitoring project in south Brunswick County, a rapidly developing region of coastal North Carolina, illustrate the challenges even such a relatively benign effort can face, aside from issues of access and basic safety. This project is intended to provide baseline water quality data for a 55-square-mile region that will be served by a combined wastewater and stormwater management system, the first of its kind in coastal North Carolina. Data are intended to yield a statistical description of existing water quality, help identify problem areas that require enforcement or other remedial actions, and evaluate the effectiveness of the regional system as its programs are implemented.

Local responses to the water quality monitoring program provide valuable lessons for others initiating monitoring projects in such areas. Problems included misperceptions about the nature and purpose of water quality monitoring, sometimes resulting in hostility; opposition to monitoring activity because it was thought to be associated with development; fear that certain water pollution sources might be identified; difficulties with regulatory and enforcement agencies; concerns about publicity for findings of "poor" water quality; and, in some cases, determined opposition to the regional wastewater and stormwater management concept. Positive experiences included improving public support for and awareness of good water quality, direct responses to citizen concerns about specific locations and problems, development of working relationships with regulatory and enforcement authorities, and effective cleanup actions. Monitoring programs of this kind can benefit from effective publicity and public information from the outset of the effort, strong support from sponsors, responsiveness to the public, demonstration of the reliability of data, and achievement of visible results.

The influx of tourists and permanent residents is swelling the population centers of North Carolina’s coastal counties, carrying with it many of the problems associated with land disturbance, waste water treatment and increased stormwater runoff. The 1990 U.S. Census forecasts a 12.3 percent increase in the state’s population, from 6,632,449 to 7,444,960 by the year 2000. Thirty-two percent of North Carolina households can be found in the coastal region with an 18 percent increase expected by the year 2000.

The coastal plain of North Carolina is characterized by gentle slopes, low elevations, sandy soils and a shallow water table. The area covered by wetlands is substantial; it is estimated that 95% of the wetlands in North Carolina occur in the coastal area (Wilson 1962). Open fresh water covers approximately 1,560 km², regularly flooded salt marshes 236 km², with sounds and bays covering 9,160 km² (Kuenzler et al 1977).

This physiography poses an intriguing challenge for wastewater treatment. An assessment of septic systems in coastal North Carolina found many in violation of the regional drain line to water table separation (Duda and Cromartie 1982). These conditions result in incomplete nitrification and diminished treatment of fecal pathogens. Septic tank pollution of ground water has occurred in Emerald Isle, Morehead City and Bogue Banks in Carteret County (Kuenzler et al 1977).

Brunswick County is located on the southeast coastal plain directly on the North Carolina/South Carolina border (Figure 1). Because of its water orientation Brunswick County’s year-round population has grown from 35,777 in 1980 to 50,985 in 1990 (Hayes and Associates 1995). The most intense growth has centered around Shallotte Township’s coastal zone (Dewberry and Davis 1995), which includes areas along the intracoastal waterway, lake front lots and Sunset Beach. Horry County, South Carolina, lies immediately across the state line and includes the popular water front resort of Myrtle Beach. Horry County has seen significant population growth in the past 20 years, increasing from 69,992 in 1970 to 144,050 in 1990.

Average precipitation in Brunswick County is 52 inches per year, the maximum amount of water available for ground-water recharge (Heath 1997). Depending on the underlying soil, recharge rates in Brunswick County range from 4 to 12 inches per year, the latter being one of the highest rates in the state. The areas of recharge are susceptible to contamination from stormwater runoff. Surface soil in the area consists of a 1,200-foot-thick bed of sand, silt, clay, seashells, limestone and sandstone. Sinkholes, caused by water high in dissolved carbon dioxide percolating down into and dissolving the underlying shell and limestone layers, are common in the area (Heath 1997).

The aquifers underlying Brunswick County are current and future sources of potable water. Most of the soils in south Brunswick County are classified as severe for septic tank absorption due to wetness, flooding, ponding, high water table and poor filtration qualities (Hayes and Associates 1995). Septic tank drain fields and land spreading of municipal and industrial waste may already be adversely affecting the quality of water in the surficial aquifer (Heath 1997). Water in the deepest aquifers in Brunswick County, i.e., those with depths 800 to 1200 feet below the surface, contain water about half as salty as sea water.

South Brunswick County includes old time residents, recent retirees, small family farms, apartment complexes, beach front homes, golf communities and businesses. Approximately 12,000 tourists visit the area each day during the summer months (NCDEH 1997). Most have been drawn there for the recreational opportunities afforded by the area’s proximity to the ocean and to enjoy the well manicured golf courses. Fishing, swimming, boating and sailing are also common activities, but shellfishing has been closed for some time due to average fecal coliform counts above the state’s limit of 14 colony forming units (cfu)/100ml.

Sewage treatment is provided by a few small package plants in Oyster Bay, Ocean Isle, Bricklanding Plantation and Carolina Shores. Most domestic wastewater treatment in the 201 Planning Area is accomplished with onsite septic tanks that may reach densities as high as 8 per acre. The restaurants in downtown Calabash have septic tanks that must be pumped daily or weekly during the summer months (NCDEH 1997).

Stormwater management is not consistent throughout South Brunswick County. The town of Sunset Beach adopted a Stormwater Management Ordinance on August 7, 1995 that is stricter than the current state policy in that it requires existing property owners to comply with the new regulations regardless of previous practices. Sunset Beach also has an ordinance officer who actively seeks compliance from local developers and homeowners. Other areas of the 201 Planning Area are not monitored as closely and many construction locations lack visible siltation control measures. Stormwater management consists of man-made ditches, small retention ponds in some housing complexes and diversion of runoff into existing streams and the intracoastal waterway. In rural areas farmland and building sites are ditched along their perimeters with heavy equipment to remove water. Natural water courses have been piped and covered over in the upper drainage basin of the Shallotte River to facilitate golf course construction. Some sections of the intracoastal waterway, small streams and ponds have riparian buffer zones, but vegetation along two coastal lakes has recently been removed. Buffer zones, necessary to trap runoff to prevent sediment and nutrients from entering waterways, can be found on some waterfront properties. The county maintains greenboxes for refuse collection in some locations although their placement on the banks of major water courses needs to be questioned. During storm events much of the household garbage, bathroom trash and construction debris is washed into the upper reaches of the Caw Caw River. One refuse station was cleaned up after photographs of the site were shown at a public meeting. A second site is still waiting for cleanup by the county. Bags of household garbage have been petition for a Contested Case Hearing, Docket 95-0828, Minnie Kelly Hunt et al., on July 20, 1995. On December 14, 1995, Administrative Law Judge Thomas R. West issued a written Recommended Decision to the NCDEHNR directing that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be prepared in conjunction with the proposed SBWSA project. SBWSA volunteered without further litigation to prepare an EIS and to incorporate wastewater treatment and a stormwater management plan into one regional management scheme.

The Water Quality Assessment portion of the EIS document requires a comprehensive look at existing water quality by implementing an aggressive and thorough water quality monitoring program. On October 15, 1996, SBWSA contracted with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Department of Biological Sciences to perform water quality monitoring. These data would be used to establish baseline water quality, identify problems and to measure improvements in water quality as regional management practices are initiated.

The SBWSA 201 Planning Area is in the coastal plain of the Lumber River Basin and includes the subbasins of the upper Caw Caw River, the upper basin of the Shallotte River, the entire subbasin of Calabash Creek, as well as a coastal drainage subbasin situated directly behind Sunset Beach. The Shallotte River system consists of 11 streams with a total area of 87 square miles, Calabash Creek consists of 6 streams with a combined area of 19 square miles and the upper area of the Caw Caw consists of drainage from the Shingletree Swamp, the Caw Caw Swamp and the Persimmon Swamp (Dewberry and Davis 1995). The lower portion of Calabash Creek is influenced by tidal action, but the sections above the dams at Sunset Lake (upper northern branch) and Medcalf Lake (upper eastern branch) are freshwater. Drainages in developed areas are usually man-made ditches, as are many of the road side drainages. Some natural flows have been diverted or piped underground to accommodate golf course and road construction. Most of the fresh surface water in the Project Area is classified C for secondary recreation, fishing, and aquatic life propagation and survival. Tidally influenced waters are designated SA for shellfishing, primary recreation and fishing, as well as aquatic life propagation and survival. Approximately 78 percent of the area is forested.

Thirty-six locations are being monitored for fecal coliforms, chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, salinity, total phosphate, total nitrogen and temperature. Monitoring locations were chosen after the examination of aerial photographs and topographic maps and on site visits to determine drainage patterns. Legal access and the safety of field personnel where also taken into consideration. Monitoring locations represent drainage from residential areas, rural farmlands, business districts, golf courses, the intracoastal waterway, construction areas and natural undisturbed areas. Twenty-eight sites are fresh water including streams, ditches and golf course ponds. Tidally influenced sites include the lower Calabash Creek drainage, Spartina marshes and navigable portions of the Intracoastal Waterway. Each of the sites is sampled every three weeks. All laboratory analyses follow Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for standards and quality control.

Monitoring by UNC-Wilmington began in October 1996 and is planned to continue at least until late in 1999. Monitoring by the SBWSA will begin upon completion of their onsite laboratory and will continue indefinitely as part of the regional environmental management plan.

Funding for the monitoring project, construction of the treatment facility and the stormwater management program is being provided by loans, stormwater assessment fees and sewage system hook-up charges. The towns of Calabash and Sunset Beach have agreed to loan the authority $200,000 each and Brunswick County has loaned $25,000. A 37 million dollar bond package is also planned in the near future. Stormwater management fees have been assessed from calculations of impact derived from aerial photography, tax maps and GIS information, which, when combined, give an accurate estimate of impervious surface for each parcel of land. Seventeen of the golf courses in the area not initially billed for stormwater runoff because of the volume of information necessary for proper assessment, have received statements for approximately $10,500 each. A proposal has recently been approved to cut the stormwater fees for undeveloped land from 25 cents per acre to 7 cents. Existing homes will pay $375.00 for sewage system hook plus varying line installation fees, while future users will pay $1,760.00 plus connection costs.

We were prepared to accept and answer concerns from some organized groups, but the initial public response to the water quality monitoring project of suspicion and fear was unexpected. During the first few public meetings many of the residents expressed a distrust of anyone associated with local or state government. The fact that the research team was from a state university was apparently enough to make many residents uneasy. Many held misconceptions as to the nature of water quality monitoring and how the data were to be used. Some residents did not want their neighborhoods to be associated with "bad water" while others refused to pay for something they didn’t understand the need for. Some of these fears were quenched during the first few meetings of the Water Quality Board, but others have surfaced and have become acute problems for the monitoring team.

Harassment of field personnel began even before the first water sample was collected and analyzed. During a photographic and site assessment field trip along a state right of way, one employee was approached in a hostile manner by a unidentified individual. Intimidation of this sort continued with a phone call from a local businessman who did not want us sampling in his area. Verbal abuse has been directed at government employees in general and we were warned by a state agency of an antigovernment militia group in the area. A few individuals have attempted to take water sample containers away from our field technicians on more than one occasion. Contact with local law enforcement has helped keep such matters from escalating, but the incidents have not stopped completely.

Many of the residents did not understand why they received a stormwater management assessment fee, even though fliers with appropriate information had been included along with their usual water bills for several months. One gentleman felt he was being billed "without representation" and declared "You’all’r a bunch of communists and are gonna burn in hell." Some of the townspeople of Calabash, an area that has centralized sewer, have protested against the project because they fear it will somehow compete with "their" privately owned company. This is far from the truth, as the SBWSA is not intended to compete for existing customers but to provide service to the many new residents. Data have revealed water quality problems in specific areas and some locally elected officials have responded by attacking the professional credentials of the research team. As a university laboratory involved in water quality monitoring, we are not required to hold the state certification needed by a self-monitoring industrial laboratory doing National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance work. One individual has used this situation to declare on numerous occasions at public meetings and in the newspaper that our data are not valid and should be ignored. We have also been accused of using improper scientific technique, of being unqualified and incompetent and dishonest in our data reporting. One individual, unhappy with our findings, contacted the university chancellor and demanded our termination.

High fecal coliform counts, condoms and tampon applicators at one monitoring location indicated a possible source of human sewage contamination. One local official blamed the high fecal coliforms on "fish and turtles" and "warm and cold blooded mammals." Squirrels were cited for placing feminine hygiene articles into the creek that flows past a country club. Ducks were maligned for defecating to excess a nearby pond. One individual suggested rainwater carrying feces from whales and dolphins as the source of the fecal bacteria. In reality (a novel concept for some) septage haulers were not exercising proper care when pumping off their trucks into a collection station up stream of the monitoring location. The package plant using the same stream for effluent discharge has also had a problem with its chlorination and disinfection system, so improperly treated sewage has been discharged into the stream. On occasion heavy rains have resulted in high fecal coliform counts in other nearby monitoring locations, suggesting possible stormwater infiltration of sewage pipes and overflows. The septage haulers’ dumping privileges have been revoked, the sewage treatment plant is installing a UV disinfection system and several repairs to pipes and lift stations have been undertaken. Refuse has been eradicated and fecal coliform counts have diminished in some monitoring locations as a result.

The state’s regional enforcement agency was notified of the excessively high fecal coliform counts and the solid debris found in the discharge ditch. Their initial response was one of skepticism; but after photographs, video tape and eyewitnesses came forward, a joint sampling scheme between our research team and the agency was adopted. Our results concur closely with theirs and the initial difficulties have been replaced with a positive professional relationship.

Many residents fear a regional wastewater system will encourage and promote uncontrolled development in the area. Many of the undeveloped parcels in the Planning Area are not suitable for septic tank installation. Hook-up to a sewage system would permit construction on some of these lots but not all. Several developers are constructing individual package plants on site to handle sewage treatment for their customers. Having many individual plants will put a strain on the already overloaded state inspection teams and maintenance of several smaller plants will prove a burden to future residents. More people continue to move into the area and development continues in spite of these difficulties.

Lush, well-manicured golf courses are a significant economic feature of the area, and more are under construction. The application of fertilizers that contain a surfactant, which eases the task of mechanical spraying, has sometimes resulted in a layer of white foam in some ditches and streams. Nutrient loading has caused many of the fresh water lakes, ponds and canals to have excessive weed and algal growth. Plant respiration at night and decomposing vegetation on the bottom drop oxygen levels in the water column, stressing aquatic life. Better management practices and perhaps a greater understanding of the problems associated with fertilizer runoff by greens managers will result in a decrease of nutrient overloading.

A controversy exists over the traditional practice of ditching an area with heavy equipment to control stormwater runoff. This method removes the water from the site, but it does not control the quality of the water. This misconception has proven to be one of the more frustrating aspects of the project. This will be a difficult concept to change, due to the unyielding attitudes of some community leaders. Many areas suffer from heavy sedimentation, erosion of top soil, and nutrient runoff, again causing unwanted weed and algal growth.

Current trends in South Brunswick County indicate a pattern of growth and future development, consequently the need for wastewater treatment and stormwater management will increase. The Project Area is expected to have a 172 percent increase in the residential population within the next 20 years (URS Greiner, 1997). This growth must be accompanied by an acceptance and understanding of the need for improved services. We feel that a strong public relations campaign at the onset of the project would have alleviated many of the predicaments we have experienced.

The project will include the establishment of green corridors to protect feeding and nesting areas for wildlife, such as the endangered wood stork, Mycteria americana. Riparian buffer zones are planned to control sedimentation and nutrient runoff. The 120-acre Carolina bay, drained several years ago on the treatment plant building site, is slated for restoration and scientific study. All of these positive aspects are the results of a collaborative effort between government, engineering and scientific data collection.

According to predicted trends, people will continue to move into the 201 Planning Area and development will certainly strive to meet the demand for housing, support services and recreational facilities. Economic and sociopolitical ideals need to adjust to permit the areas infrastructure to grow and develop to keep up with future need. A regional sewage treatment and stormwater management plan will facilitate long-term water quality solutions for South Brunswick County.

SBWSA generously provided funding for this project. Thanks to Eric Cullum, Bryant Sykes, T. Chris Collura and Kevin Rowland for their efforts in the field and laboratory. Special thanks to the squirrels of Calabash for their support and kind contributions.