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The Phillips 66 spillway is located on the San Bernard River approx two miles upstream from Hwy 35  and Hanson Riverside County Park west of West Columbia. The spillway contains the fresh water flowing downstream and stops the upstream flow of salt water. The San Bernard is the source of water for the Phillips 66 Old Ocean refinery.

 

FOR citizen scientist Tom Ronayne measures the depth of the water at the dam on days when testing and sampling for bacteria is done lower down the river. This is used as a rudimentary way of knowing the runoff amount of fresh water flowing downriver. This information is needed for bacteria sampling. The average depth on April 10, 2017 was 2”.

 

For background on the water rights read the Nov 21, 2012 article “Life Along the Banks: Saltwater Dam”.