The Voice of Lake Murray
Sept 2024 to Sept 2025 Water Testing Results
| Location | E. Coli Levels | Phosphorous Levels | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2024 | Nov 2024 | March 2025 | June 2025 | July 2025 | July 2025 | Sept 2024 | Nov 2024 | March 2025 | June 2025 | July 2025 | Sept 2025 | ||
| Dreher Island | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Clouds Creek at Mount Willing Rd. Bridge | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Little River Landing | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Low | High | High | High | High | High | High | |
| Kempson Bridge | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | High | |
| Ridge Road Bridge | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Moderate | Low | Moderate | Moderate | |
| Hollywood Road | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | High | |
| Pintail Lake Drive | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | Moderate | |
| Koon Landing | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | Moderate | |
| Beachcreek Rd. | Low | Low | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | |
| NS = Not Sampled | |||||||||||||
Here are the results of our water sampling from Sept 2024 to Sept 2025. In general, the E. Coli results were excellent for 2024. Some March 2025 results had high E. Coli levels at sites #2, 3, and 5, however by June, July and September, the E. Coli levels were all low. The 2024 Total Phosphorus results had been consistently low and showed significant improvement over the previous year. However, in both July 2024 and again in July 2025, the samples revealed abnormally high levels of phosphorus. Several factors may have contributed to these spikes, including increased agricultural runoff, heavy summer stormwater flows, and algal blooms fueled by warmer temperatures. Another likely contributor is lawn fertilization, which tends to increase during the summer months and can result in excess phosphorus washing into nearby streams and Lake Murray. The September 2024 samples were a mixed result with some Low phosphorous levels and some samples still had elevated levels. We are seeing this same pattern again in 2025. In November 2024 results returned to good values and hopefully we will see that also in 2025. We will be paying attention to future sampling results to determine if these elevated levels persist and to better understand any seasonal or environmental patterns contributing to these changes.