Grace Fuchs, Riverkeeper Assistant

As part of Waterkeepers Carolina, Yadkin Riverkeeper monitors swimming sites and access areas for e.coli during the summer season. This program is part of SwimGuide, an international platform sharing the results of bacteria monitoring at local swimming areas. This past summer YRK sampled 9 areas throughout the watershed and had a 72% pass rate overall. The sampling season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Whether a site passes or fails is based on the Beach Action Value (BAV). If a site exceeds the BAV, it fails. Fecal bacteria concentrations are reported in most probable number (mpn) per 100mL sample. The BAV for e.coli is 235 mpn/100mL.

The sites in the Yadkin that failed most often were Yadkin Shores and Huntsville (Bob Pate Memorial Access). In addition to those two sites, Burch Station and Roaring River also had constantly high bacterial counts.

The 14 Riverkeepers that make up Waterkeepers Carolina collected 3,169 samples at 256 sites across the state this past sampling season. This summer had a pass rate of 82%. You can read the full report on Waterkeepers Carolina’s website to see how the Yadkin compared to other watersheds and learn more about why bacteria pollution matters.

The report also identifys steps individuals can take to reduce bacteria pollution in our streams and rivers. These actions are outlined in the escript from the report below:

Stay tuned for ways to volunteer with our SwimGuide program next summer!