Council to vote on agreement to continue to monitor James Island Creek

“It is so important to invest in our environment and in science and testing because if we can spend a little dollars now for prevention later on from someone getting sick, it’s well worth it,” Skardon says.”

Several local entities are coming together to continue monitoring and keeping the James Island Creek as clean as possible.

The Town of James Island Public Works Committee agreed to accept an agreement between the Town of James Island, the city of Charleston and Charleston County to work together on improving the creek’s water quality by implementing watershed plans, managing drainage to prevent pollution and addressing high bacteria levels in the creek, which is classified as an “impaired waterway.”

The James Island town council is set to vote on the agreement to make it official on Thursday.

The James Island Creek’s water quality parameter of concern is a fecal indicator bacteria called Enterococci, which has been identified in the creek since 2016. This form of bacteria originates from the intestine of warm-blooded animals, and although not generally considered harmful to humans, it is an indicator of other pathogenic bacteria that pose a human health risk.