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Urban Retrofit Leads to Reopening Shellfish Harvesting Waters in Battery Creek

Update Overview

Battery Creek Shellfish Stations Reopened and Delisted

The Battery Creek watershed in Beaufort County contains considerable shellfish-growing
habitat, much of which has been restricted for harvesting for over a decade due to
fecal coliform contamination from stormwater runoff. The City of Beaufort completed the Battery Creek Watershed
Management Plan in 2013 and began a subsequent recreational pond rehabilitation and retrofit project in 2014. The
project was completed in 2017 and has contributed to water quality improvements that prompted the reopening of
seven stations in 2020 and three additional stations beginning October 1, 2022.

Problem

Battery Creek (HUC 030502080501) in South
Carolina's Beaufort County is a tidal estuary that has
shown increasing water quality impairments due to
stormwater runoff from surrounding urban develop-
ment, Monthly water quality monitoring by the South
Carolina Department of Health and Environmental
Control (SCDHEC) Sheiifish Program showed that sta-
tions located downstream of the project site have not
reliably met standards for sheiifish harvesting due to
elevated fecal coliform, which has resulted in closures
for much of Battery Creek for over a decade.

^ Burton Hill Retrofit BMP Site

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Legend

Shellfish stations reopened in 2020
^Shellfish stations reopened in 2022
• Station delisted

Figure 1. Shellfish stations reopened in 2020 and 2022.

Story Highlights

In 2014, Beaufort County and the City of Beaufort
partnered on the Burton Hill M2 Regional Water
Quality Retrofit project, which repaired and improved
an existing private recreational pond to serve as a

catch basin for stormwater runoff. Runoff from a 470 ace sub-basin of Battery Creek is collected and diverted toward
the pond, allowing ultraviolet light to kill off bacteria and sediment to settle out of the water column. This project
reduced the fecal coliform load by 9.0E12 colony-forming units.

Results

Continued monthly data collection shows that fecal coliform concentrations have improved in most areas of the creek.
In 2020, seven formerly restricted stations achieved fecal coiiform standards and have been approved for sheiifish
harvesting. In 2022, three additional sites were also reclassified and will be open for shellfish harvesting beginning
October 3, 2022 (Figure 1).

Partners and Funding

The successful reduction and treatment of stormwater runoff was achieved by collaboration between the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, SCDHEC, the City of Beaufort, Beaufort County, and a local property owner. Section
319 funds were awarded in the amount of $350,000, and the City of Beaufort and Beaufort County provided an addi-
tional $2.85,686 (funded through a stormwater utility fee).

Update: December 2022

EPA 841-F-22-001II

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC

For additional information contact:

Shea McCarthy

SCDHEC

803-898-4401 • mccartsm@dhec.sc.gov

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