Another investigation has been opened in eastern North Carolina into bacterial contamination in area waters.
For the first part of the summer, Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop and Water-Quality Specialist Taylor Register say water samples taken at the N.C. Highway 11 boat ramp at Kinston came back well within state recreational water-quality standards for E. coli. However, that changed the first week of August.
When Slocum Creek in Havelock failed to meet recreational water-quality standards for E. coli earlier this summer continued to fail weekly, Sound Rivers began looking into the source of pollution in July.
Its source was determined to be human, but how it’s getting into the creek is still being investigated.
Register said the Kinston site, however, has recently has even higher E. Coli levels than Slocum Creek.
They will be collecting a DNA sample to determine whether the pollution is animal or human in origin, and after the results are in they will work to narrow down potential source locations.
