In addition to the rigorous testing of the Larkins Facility's effluent discharge, the North Carolina DWR requires that we sample and test the stream state at locations upstream and downstream of our point of discharge. This testing is conducted on behalf of the City by students and faculty of UNCW, via the Lower Cape Fear River Program. The City is a member of this program, which is a collaborative group of academia, government, industry and the public working together to gather information about and improve the water quality of one of our most valuable North Carolina water resources. Some of the parameters tested include dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia and total nitrogen and phosphorous.
In addition to chemical parameters, the group also checks for indicator species/organisms that give a larger picture of the overall health of an ecosystem. All data collected by the program staff are reported to NCDEQ on a monthly basis. More information about the Lower Cape Fear River Program may be found on the UNCW website, and at the LCRFP website.