Time Lapse of Cooper River

We just came across this really cool time lapse video, taken from the Ravenel Bridge. (Compliments of Palmetto Sky Media)

Erosion at Folly

Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a number of reports about an extensive amount of erosion occuring at Folly Beach. We headed out this morning to check it out ourselves; here’s what we spotted.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Charleston’s Waterways Featured in Recreation Video

Jewell & Ginnie, an extremely talented, local production company, recently created a video to highlight the many recreational opportunities throughout Charleston.  It was no surprise to us that our waterways dominated the short.  Enjoy…

Guest Speaking at Sierra Club Meeting

The Lunz Group of the Sierra Club invited us to speak at their monthly meeting. Here’s the crowd!

Copper Campaign Featured on ABC News 4

Click the image below to check out the story and video…

Strong Winds Impact our Waterfront

This morning, a citizen reporter sent us this photo of a sailboat that had been blown off its mooring/anchor on the Ashley River. Expect to see a significant amount of marine debris on our shoreline that may have blown in from the storm. If you’re out on the water and are able to (without hurting yourself), try to collect any litter or trash from our waterways that you may see. The Coast Guard has been notified of the beached sailboat.

Spotted…

Our logo has been popping up all over town (this one was spotted at Queen Street Grocery). A big thanks to those who are helping to spread the Waterkeeper love. See our logo somewhere? Snap a picture and send it our way; we’d love to see it!

Copper in Our Waterways

Andy Lassiter, our faithful intern from COFC's MES program, takes pluff mud samples to be used in a study to measure copper in Charleston's waterways.

Copper is a natural occurring element in nature; however, when excessive amounts of this heavy metal gather in our waterways, it becomes incredibly harmful to aquatic life.

According to DHEC’s most recent list of impaired waterways, 11 of Charleston’s creeks, rivers and tributaries are contaminated due to excessive amounts of copper.

Copper has been shown to suppress immune systems, act as an endocrine disruptor (a substance that can turn female fish into male fish), and impact the nervous systems of both aquatic and human life (especially in those with heightened vulnerability).  One study also found that fish, such as salmon, that swim in areas of copper-contamination, lose a great amount of their ability to smell, thus leaving them susceptible to prey and less equipped to find food.

So, where’s all this copper coming from?  As noted above, small levels of copper occur in nature; however, after that, we as humans are responsible for the higher amounts in our waterways.  One of the primary sources of copper contamination (especially in popular place like Charleston) is from copper-based bottom paints.  Otherwise known as antifouling paint, this stuff is applied to the bottoms of boats to prevent growth from using your hull as a home.  According to faithful wikipedia, copper “impede[s] growth of barnacles, algae, and other such organisms. Since such a barrier ablates slowly, it must be renewed periodically.”  In other words, copper forms a force-field-like barrier, poisoning all life around it.  And, it slowly leaches off boat bottoms and settles in our waterways and riverbeds.

So, what does all this have to do with Charleston Waterkeeper?  Well, our goal is to improve the quality of our waterways.  In order to do this, a few things are needed.  First, we must identify the things out there that are degrading our waterways in some way.  Then, we must find some sort of a solution to address this problem or threat.  In regards to copper, we have an obvious threat.  So, what’s the solution?  Well it’s a bit complex, but we’re starting at square one.

We’ve teamed up with the College of Charleston and have brought on an intern from their Masters of Environmental Studies program.  The goal is to study the amount of copper in and around Charleston Harbor.  We want to find out where copper levels are highest.  I’ll spare you all with the nitty-gritty scientific stuff for now, but the long and the short of it is that we’re going to be slopping around in pluff mud over the next month gathering 60 samples to be tested for copper.  Thanks to our friends at QROS laboratories, we’ll find out how much copper exists in each of these samples, thus allowing us to draw a conclusion of where this stuff is coming from based on where each sample was taken.

Assuming there are heightened levels of copper around marinas and boatyards (which is what we expect), we can deduce that the copper bottom paint from boat hulls is slowly poisoning the surrounding waterways.  The hope is to educate the public about ways we can reduce the amount of copper that is entering out waterways – from alternative, water-friendly bottom paints (which won’t impact the fish you’re taking home for dinner), to responsible ways of scraping your hulls.

We’re looking forward to getting our hands dirty and are excited to see what we find.  Stay tuned for more on this…

Looking into this… A bit suspicious.

While out on a patrol the other day, we spotted this off the south end of Daniel Island. One citizen reporter suggested that it could have been dredge spoil that broke through its levy. We have contacted DHEC and will keep you all updated with any information we receive.

Wine Tasting at Ted’s to Benefit Charleston Waterkeeper

Every Friday night, Ted’s Butcher Block hosts a wine tasting event from 5-7pm.  Ted’s has gained a great reputation of being Charleston’s favorite community butcher-shop.  Not only because of their fine food and grand selection of wine and craft beer, but because of their commitment to the Charleston community.

Their weekly wine tastings are a prime example of this; for the first quarter of 2010, Ted’s has chosen Charleston Waterkeeper to be the benefiting charity of their wine tastings.  So, if you don’t have plans for Friday, you do now.  Click here for more details about the tasting.  Come on out and show your support for clean water and an incredible business.  We’ll certainly be present with glass in hand, and we hope to see you there.

A huge thanks to the crew at Ted’s Butcher Block for the support!

Don’t know where it is?  Click here for directions.