To kick off the sampling season for the Western N.C. Recreational Water Quality Monitoring Program, NC Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson visited Jean Webb Park on the French Broad River in Asheville to demonstrate how DEQ’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) staff sample for E. coli in local waterways.
The presence of elevated E. coli levels in streams, lakes and rivers is an indication of an increased presence of fecal contamination, which has been shown to co-occur with gastrointestinal illness.
The WNC Recreational Water Quality Monitoring Program was created in 2019 by DWR staff in DEQ’s Asheville Regional Office to monitor water quality in waterbodies that are used for recreation in Western North Carolina.
“Every summer people flock to our beautiful mountain streams to swim, raft, or paddle, and we want them to have a fun, safe and healthy experience,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “Our recreational water quality monitoring program offers an online dashboard so that families can compare water quality in different rivers as they decide which beautiful stream to enjoy.”
DEQ staff and program partners sample 71 sites once a week from May through September, in four river basins — the French Broad, Little Tennessee, Catawba and Broad. The samples are analyzed in DEQ’s laboratory in Asheville. The results are provided to the public to inform them of locations where E. coli levels are both above and below recreational guidance values.
Last year, DEQ launched a new online GIS tool that displays the results on an online map. More information about the program is available online.
The N.C. Department of Human Health Services (DHHS) is the agency charged with issuing recreational health advisories in North Carolina. Contact NCDHHS or your local health department to stay up to date on water quality advisories for recreational waters. NCDHHS has recommendations for recreational water safety online. NCDHHS’ Division of Public Health also reminds the public to take precautions as microorganisms or pollution that can lead to illness may be present in waterbodies.