October 2023 Blog by Geraldine Cuypers, KFB Board Member
Vampires aren’t the only beings with reason to fear water. In fact, these folkloric figures are depicted as fearful of running water due to the symbol of purity that water has. And if water isn’t as pure as it is symbolized to be, what then? That is a dilemma many creatures–including humans–face today.’Vampires aren’t the only beings with reason to fear water. In fact, these folkloric figures are depicted as fearful of running water due to the symbol of purity that water has. And if water isn’t as pure as it is symbolized to be, what then? That is a dilemma many creatures–including humans–face today.
One thing I love about Florence is how the waterbodies that travel through the region offers up a sense of continuity. From Jeffries Creek to Lake Swamp to Lynches River, these waterbodies are a sort of path from which life emanates throughout our region. We fish, swim, kayak, and even draw our drinking water from these freshwater sources. Unfortunately, more often than not, we don’t treat these lifelines as well as they treat us, which in turn ends up hurting us.
In Florence we have a few waterbodies that are classified as “impaired”, meaning that they don’t meet water quality standards due to pollution. Human activities near those waterbodies dictate what sort of pollutants we see more of. Most of the pollutants enter our waterbodies through urban stormwater runoff—basically, when it rains, the rainwater (or stormwater) picks up pollutants on impervious surfaces (e.g. rooftops, driveways, roads) and flows into storm drains, which lead to our local waterways. Contrary to popular belief, water that flows into the storm drains is not filtered before entering waterbodies, such as Jeffries Creek (which ultimately flows into the Pee Dee River and then into the Atlantic Ocean). Yes—this means that those cigarette butts, food wrappers, sediment, and motor oils dump directly into our waterways. This was quite a shock for me to realize, as I spend much of my recreational time on and around these waters. Even more terrifying was the thought that much of the fish and seafood I eat lives in these waters. This is when it dawned upon me that the closures of swimming areas and shellfish harvesting on our coasts are directly tied back to us—the people who live upstream of these areas.
The number one pollutant in SC’s waterways is bacteria. Bacteria can enter the stormwater system when pet waste is not properly disposed of, when septic tanks aren’t properly maintained, and when municipal sewer systems overflow. Other pollutants that plague our waters are fertilizers, pesticides, motor oil, grass clippings, grease, dirt/sediment, and trash. We often see harmful algal blooms in the warmer months as a result of excess nutrients entering our waterbodies. These blooms can produce toxins that have the potential to kill pets, wildlife, and humans.
The fact is that there is more pollution where there are more people, and we are certainly seeing a lot of population growth and new developments in our region. Even so, clean water doesn’t have to be a myth or fantasy—this isn’t a “it is what it is” sort of situation. There is a solution.
Jane Goodall said it best: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.