The Edisto Island watershed has 19 bacteria impairments, 11 turbidity impairments, and 2 total maximum daily loads for bacteria. As a result, both recreational and commercial shellfish harvesting is restricted or prohibited across a large percentage of the watershed. These closures create an economic hardship for those who generate income from shellfish harvest, and a public health risk for those who depend on shellfish as a source of protein.
This project will identify the sources of the bacteria and turbidity impairments across the watershed, leading to more effective management strategies, improved water quality, and a reduction in the number of impairments. A long-term goal of this project is to reopen closed shellfish beds to harvest, which would increase the total harvest by the local shellfish industry.
The dataset will be shared on the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium’s water quality monitoring portal to make it accessible to the public.