Jackson Branch Bacteria Monitoring Results Released

Volunteer Emelyn Hunter monitoring Jackson Branch.The findings of a water quality monitoring report for Jackson Branch will be presented on Wednesday, March 10, 2:30 p.m. at the Screven County Fire Department located at 618 Frontage Road in Sylvania.  The monitoring was conducted by Ogeechee Riverkeeper® for the Coastal Regional Commission and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
 
From June 2008 to March 2009, a three mile segment of Jackson Branch from Highway 17 to County Road 39 near Dover was monitored by Ogeechee Riverkeeper staff and a local volunteer from Sylvania, Emelyn Hunter. The report concludes that the high fecal coliform levels generally decrease in the winter due to additional rainfall and cooler water temperatures and rise during the summer with lower stream flows and higher temperatures. 
 
Chandra Brown, Riverkeeper, notes that, “We will continue to monitor the water quality of Jackson Branch, and would like to see a long-term solution at the Highway 17 crossing to increase water flow and allow a greater tree canopy to shade the water.” The State Environmental Protection Division is evaluating the removal of Jackson Branch from the State 305(b)/303(d) list of impaired streams.
 
Ogeechee Riverkeeper is a non-profit organization based in Statesboro, Georgia. The final report can be downloaded on Ogeechee Riverkeeper's website.  A copy of the presentation from the meeting is also available in the library.