Katie Callahan, Director, CU Center for Watershed Excellence
Lake Hartwell is iconic. It is a place of annual family gatherings, evokes memories of childhood fishing trips and that first striper on the line, our place to cool off come summertime, and so much more. In all of its vastness, hidden coves, and 900-miles of shoreline, Lake Hartwell is not an isolated waterbody. It is a large and living system, composed of river and stream networks in two states and three South Carolina counties. This full region draining to Lake Hartwell is called its “watershed,” a term many of you likely know as the area of land draining to a specific point on a waterway or reservoir. The quality of these contributing waterways is a major factor in the health of the lake and its suitability as a drinking water source, recreational waterbody, and home for wildlife and fish.
To gain a better understanding of the lake’s long-term health, we need to better understand the quality of the waterways draining to the lake, and you can help! A citizen science volunteer monitoring program is being offered across South Carolina that complements the state’s monitoring network and seeks to engage residents with their local streams, creeks, and rivers. The SC Adopt-a-Stream (SC AAS) program offers free trainings and access to monitoring kits to begin to collect data in smaller streams where water quality data is not likely to be collected. Equipped with a pollution reporting mechanism, the database is transparent and allows anyone to view the water quality data collected by certified volunteers. This data can and is being used at the local level to expedite solutions to water quality issues.
Even during COVID-19, when families were looking to get out of the house and participate in STEM activities, the program has grown, pivoting outreach to include virtual workshops and small group field trainings. Anderson and Pickens counties have some of the longest history with the program and years of data collection. So, here is my challenge to you! Join your neighbors in creating monitoring groups so that data is being collected on every major tributary flowing to Lake Hartwell! This is important and usable data to address Lake Hartwell’s continued health. There are several monitoring stations up for adoption, too, to the next group of dedicated volunteers!
Find out more at www.scadoptastream.org and contact us! Find us on Facebook, too!
