Study says White Oak River in danger

CAPE CARTERET - The White Oak River is in trouble, and area citizens are invited to a meeting MondayMarch 2to find out why and how they can help.

The results of a three-year, federally funded study of bacteria levels in the river will be presented along with recommendations for voluntary steps the public can take to help reduce the flow of polluted stormwater into the waterways. The meeting will be held at White Oak Elementary School in Cape Carteret starting at 7 Monday night.

"We encourage everyone who cares about the White Oak to attend this important meeting," said Frank Tursi, the N.C. Coastal Federation's Cape Lookout CoastKeeper and the study's project leader. "This is a great opportunity to understand what is going on in our river and how we can begin to fix it."

The Coastal Federation partnered with the Town of Cedar Point and two state agencies on the study, which focused on the bacteria plaguing the White Oak and closing its oyster and clam beds. The study found very high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in four watersheds in the lower river near Cedar Point.

More than 200 water samples were drawn from almost 70 scattered sites, making the study the most extensive bacteria testing done river, Tursi said.

When the results were in, 89 percent of the samples exceeded the federal health standard for shellfish waters. Of the 113 samples taken from the largest watershed, Boathouse Creek, all but three exceeded the standard.

Due to the high bacteria levels in the White Oak, particularly after moderate rains, the state closes much of the lower river to shellfishing because the oysters and clams would be unsafe to eat. About 2,200 acres, or almost two-thirds of the lower White Oak, are now permanently closed to shellfishing or close temporarily after a good rain, Tursi said.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, the river is considered impaired and the state is obligated to take steps to reduce the contamination.

The partners received a federal EPA grant to conduct the study, and they are now holding the public hearing as part of that process.

The study outlines a series of voluntary steps that can be taken to reduce the flow of stormwater into the river. While there is no requirement that they be followed, Tursi believes they are steps that the citizens and communities around the White Oak can follow, from reworking storm ditches to allow more runoff to soak into the ground to educating pet owners about the importance of picking up after their dogs.

Fecal coliform bacteria isn't generally harmful but can be an indicator of the presence of other harmful bacteria.

The bacteria are found only in the digestive tract of warm-blooded animals, and genetic testing of some of the samples confirmed wildlife and pets are the primary sources of contamination. But that doesn't eliminate development as a contributor to the problems, Tursi said.

Wildlife has always been present; and in an undisturbed coastal landscape, the bacteria from animal droppings typically are absorbed into the ground with the rain. But much of the land in the study area is covered with hard surfaces such as roads and parking lots that increase the flow of stormwater.

Tursi said it wasn't realistic to reduce the source of pollution - pets and wildlife - so the focus of the recommendations is on reducing the flow of stormwater into the river.

"It's not going to require anything of anybody, but we hope the study will educate people about what is going on and offer a reasonable roadway to solutions," Tursi said.

People can read the entire study at the N.C. Division of Water Quality's Web site at http://h20.enr.state.nc.us/tmdl/TMDL_list.htm#Draft_TMDLs. Written comments can be sent to Adugna Kebede of the Division's Planning Section at adugna.kebede@ncmail.net or to NCDWQ Planning Section, Attn: Adugna Kebede; 1617 Mail Service Center; Raleigh, NC 27699. Comments will be accepted until March 18.

 Staff writer Jannette Pippin can be reached at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 910-382-2557.