![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
2007 Swimming Season Update
South Carolina
July 2008
- Introduction
- 2007 Summary Results
- For More Information
- Print version (PDF) of this document (259 K, 2 pp.; About PDF)
- Raw data (MS-Excel) for South Carolina (84 K)
Introduction
Figure 1. South Carolina coastal counties with 2007 monitored beach data.
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal and Great Lakes states and territories report to EPA on beach monitoring and notification data for their coast recreation waters. The BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that states, territories, and authorized tribes officially recognize or designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar activities in the water.
This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring and notification data submitted to EPA by the state of South Carolina for the 2007 swimming season.
The beach program staff in South Carolina want your input. Please log onto our Web site and take the survey that is posted. Look at the site and give us your thoughts.
And, come to South Carolina-beautiful places and smiling faces await you.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Charleston | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Colleton | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Georgetown | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Horry | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Totals | 23 | 23 | 0 |
2007 Summary Results
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 2: Beach notification actions by duration.
South Carolina’s approach is to issue a beach advisory when water quality standards are exceeded at a particular beach that warns people to avoid contact with the ocean water. A total of 23 monitored beaches had at least one advisory issued during the 2007 swimming season. About 91 percent of South Carolina’s 46 notification actions lasted two days or less. Figure 2 presents a full breakdown of notification action durations.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 3: Beach days with and without notification actions in 2007.
For South Carolina's 2007 swimming season, actions were reported about 2 percent of the time (Figure 3).
How do 2007 results compare to previous years?
Table 2 compares 2007 notification action data with monitored beach data from previous years.
| Year | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 35% | 39% | 43% |
| Percentage of beach days affected by notification actions | 8% | 8% | 2% |
What pollution sources affect monitored beaches?
Figure 4 displays the percentage of South Carolina's monitored beaches potentially impacted by various pollution sources. In 2007, 74 percent of the beaches were listed as having no known sources of pollution.
Figure 4: Percent of monitored beaches potentially affected by pollution sources (23 beaches).
For More Information
South Carolina's 2006 Beach Season Data | General information about beaches
Information regarding sample results is available at the South Carolina DHEC Web site
, the Earth911 web site, or by contacting DHEC at (843) 238-4378.
