MountainTrue releases June 19-20 Swim Guide results

Press release from MountainTrue:

MountainTrue’s Swim Guide bacteria monitoring results for the French Broad River Watershed are in, and this week 18 out of 32 sites passed with E. coli levels below the EPA limit for recreation waters of 235 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 milliliters. 

From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, dedicated MountainTrue volunteers gather samples from more than 60 popular water recreation sites throughout its service area of western North Carolina, north Georgia and eastern Tennessee. After samples are collected, MountainTrue staff race to process and analyze samples. Results are available on the  Swim Guide website (theswimguide.org) by Thursday afternoon or on the smartphone app, available for Android and Apple devices.  The Swim Guide is the public’s best resource for knowing which areas are safest for swimming. 

This week’s cleanest sites, with zero detection of E. coli, are French Broad at Hot Springs and Pearson Bridge. Other passing sites include the Big Laurel River, the French Broad at Barnard, Bent Creek Park, Champion Park in Rosman, Hominy Creek Park, Island Ford, Ledges Whitewater Park, and Flat Creek in Montreat. If you’re interested in visiting these areas, addresses and coordinates are available on the Swim Guide website and smartphone app.

Of the 14 sites that failed, Shiloh Park, Cane Creek at Fletcher Community Park, the French Broad at Hap Simpson, Horseshoe Boat Access, Lyons Mountain, Cedar Mountain Canteen, and both of our Mud Creek testing sites had levels of E. coli double the EPA limit or higher (470 cfu). It would be best to avoid swimming in these areas until E.coli levels drop. One surprising result was Shiloh Park’s failure with E. coli levels above 1000 cfu, or four times the EPA limit. We will do follow-up testing in the following weeks, but we recommend that you avoid this stream for now. 

Unfortunately, seven sites were unable to be updated due to a shortage of lab supplies. These are the French Broad at Glen Bridge River Park, Hominy Creek Greenway, the Upper Pigeon River and the Pigeon River at Hartford. These sites will be updated in the following week, if possible.

Overall, 56% of monitored sites passed with an average E. coli concentration of 270 cfu, slightly above the EPA limit. More sites had decreased in E. coli levels from last week than sites that had increased levels, and total E. coli levels are down from last week. Still, continued work is required to monitor and prevent water pollution. MountainTrue uses these results to advocate for policy-based solutions to pollution. To find out more about our work and how to get involved, visit mountaintrue.org.

E. coli bacteria makes its way into our rivers and streams from sewer/septic leaks and stormwater runoff – especially runoff from animal agricultural operations with substandard riparian buffers. E. coli can also indicate the presence of other more harmful microbes, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, and norovirus. Heavy rains and storms often result in spikes in E. coli contamination, increasing the risk to human health. Contact with or consumption of contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. The most commonly reported symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and low-grade fever.

In general, waterways that are located in more remote areas or near protected and less-developed public lands are the cleanest and will be less affected by stormwater runoff. Areas closer to development and polluting agricultural practices are much more heavily impacted. This trend is reflected in the Swim Guide results for our area.