12.0  Whiskey Creek

Sampling of Whiskey Creek began in August 1999.  Five stations were chosen; WC-M (at the marina near the creek mouth), WC-AB (off a private dock upstream), WC-MLR (from the bridge at Masonboro Loop Road), WC-SB (in fresh to oligohaline water along the south branch at Hedgerow Lane), and WC-NB (in fresh to oligohaline water along the north branch at Navajo Trail – Fig. 12.1).  Dissolved oxygen concentrations were below the State standard on two of 12 occasions at WC-MLR and WC-NB in 2003-2004 (Table 12.1).  Turbidity was within state standards for tidal waters on all sampling occasions except for November 2003 at WC-SB (Table 12.1; Appendix B).  There were no algal blooms during this period; chlorophyll a concentrations were usually low (Table 12.1).  Nitrate concentrations were highest upstream at WC-NB, followed by WC-SB (Table 12.2), similar to previous years.  Ammonium levels were highest at WC-NB and WC-SB, and these levels were among the highest of all the tidal creek stations sampled.  Phosphate concentrations were highest in the middle of the creek at WC-MLR and WC-AB. Phosphate, ammonium and nitrate at WC-MB were highest among all creek mouth stations in the tidal creek system.  Fecal coliform bacteria were not sampled in 2003-2004.  Whiskey Creek is presently closed to shellfishing by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

Table 12.1.  Water quality summary statistics for Whiskey Creek, August 2003-July 2004, 
as mean (st. dev.) / range
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                        Salinity           Dissolved oxygen    Turbidity         Chlor a          
                        (ppt)                (mg/L)                         (NTU)             (mg/L)
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WC-MB          29.7 (3.5)       7.8 (2.0)                      5 (3)                  2.0 (1.2)       
                        20.6-35.0       5.3-11.0                      1-13                  0.6-4.8        

WC-AB           27.3 (4.1)       7.9 (2.2)                      7 (5)                  1.6 (1.1)       
                        17.1-33.1       5.4-11.1                      1-18                  0.5-3.9         

WC-MLR        24.1 (5.8)       7.7 (2.4)                      9 (7)                  2.3 (2.2)
                        12.5-32.6       4.4-11.4                      1-24                  0.5-6.5

WC-SB           0.1 (0.0)          7.7 (1.2)                      14 (29)              0.4 (0.2)
                         0.0-0.2            6.4-10.1                      3-104                0.1-0.9

WC-NB           0.2 (0.0)          6.8 (2.1)                      6 (3)                  0.3 (0.2)
                         0.1-0.2            3.6-10.2                      3-12                  0.1-0.8
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Table 12.2.  Nutrient concentration summary statistics for Whiskey Creek, August 2003-
July 2004, as mean (st. dev.) / range, N/P ratio as mean / median.
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                        Nitrate                        Ammonium                Phosphate             Molar N/P ratio
                        (mg/L)                         (mg/L)                         (mg/L)
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  WC-MB        0.025 (0.023)             0.028 (0.022)            0.011 (0.005)                 10.3
                         0.006-0.086               0.008-0.082               0.007-0.022                   9.9

  WC-AB         0.034 (0.030)             NA                              0.015 (0.007)                 NA   
                         0.004-0.100                                                    0.007-0.028                  

  WC-MLR      0.036 (0.028)            0.043 (0.035)             0.014 (0.008)                18.1
                         0.004-0.095               0.008-0.113               0.002-0.030                   9.3

  WC-SB         0.063 (0.037)            0.101 (0.020)             0.003 (0.001)                149.7
                         0.023-0.165               0.070-0.132               0.002-0.005                  153.3

  WC-NB        0.196 (0.062)             0.113 (0.071)             0.007 (0.004)                 114.3
                         0.081-0.284               0.060-0.317               0.003-0.016                   101.3
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