“Is it safe to swim here?”
That’s one of the questions the Catawba Riverkeeper organization says it hears every summer. Their answer is a program called Swim Guide.
Every Thursday morning, water samples are collected from swimming spots across the Catawba Wateree River basin.
The samples are brought to the Riverkeeper's in-house labs and tested for E. coli bacteria and turbidity. The results are posted online, with a green, yellow, or red color code indicating water quality. Areas with higher E. coli levels will be marked red because exposure to the bacteria can lead to illness, infections and rashes, according to the Riverkeeper website.
Catawba Riverkeeper’s Volunteer and Community Science Manager, Kaity D’Angelo, is the mind behind the guide for the local basin. She says community members are what keep it going.
“Through our incredible volunteers who give their time, their motorboats and their mileage – they're the ones that make this entire program go round,” said D’Angelo. “Without them, Swim Guide wouldn't be what it is.”
So, before you jump into Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, or another spot in the basin, check the Swim Guide.
