Special to the Citizen Times

Water testing conducted by MountainTrue on Aug. 7 shows elevated levels of E. coli throughout much of the French Broad Watershed. Of the 33 sites tested, 22 failed to meet the EPA limit for E. coli in recreational waters.

“While we didn’t get a lot of rain this week, we did get some hard rains on Sunday night and Monday morning,” explains French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson. “This increased the turbidity or amount of dirt in the river and was enough to elevate the E. coli levels in the samples that we took on Wednesday. If the pattern of dry weather continues, E. coli levels should drop over the weekend. It could be a nice weekend to enjoy the river.”

The US Geological Survey’s National Water Information System recorded 0.34 inches of rain in Asheville for the French Broad River between when MountainTrue’s water quality volunteers last sampled on July 31 and Aug. 6. Many of our Swim Guide sampling sites are located in neighboring counties and their rain events may not be reflected by the Asheville rain gauge.

“A good rule of thumb is that if the river is very muddy, then the E. coli levels will likely be elevated, but if the river is running clear, then it’s a great time to paddle the French Broad," Carson said. "While we wish the French Broad was clean every week, we aren’t there yet. But we are pushing hard to make sure it will eventually meet the goals of the Clean Water Act to be fishable and swimmable.”

Which sites failed?

The 22 sites that failed the EPA standard:

Cane Creek at Fletcher Community Park - 1,265 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Pisgah Forest Access Point - 375 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Penrose Crab Creek Road - 260 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Horseshoe Boat Access (Lazy Otter) - 430 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Westfeldt Park - 1,585 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Glen Bridge River Park - 1,525 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Bent Creek River Park - 1,005 cfu/100mL

French Broad at RAD Craven Street Bridge -1,130 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Woodfin River Park - 605 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Ledges Whitewater Park - 260 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Barnard - 365 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Hot Springs - 675 cfu/100mL

Hominy Creek at Buncombe County Sports Park - 260 cfu/100mL

Hominy Creek Greenway - 800 cfu/100mL

Mills River Boat Access - 490 cfu/100 mL

Mud Creek at 7th Ave - 1,525 cfu/100mL

Mud Creek at Brookside Camp Road - 2,780 cfu/100mL

Rhododendron Creek - West Asheville Park - 375 cfu/100mL

Swannanoa at Warren Wilson/Charles D. Owen Park- 605 cfu/100mL

Swannanoa at Azalea Soccer Fields - 1,245 cfu/100mL

Downtown Pigeon/take-out in Hartford, Tennessee - 315 cfu/100mL

Of the sites that failed, eight were above the French Broad Riverkeeper’s 1,000 cfu/100 mL threshold for follow-up investigation. Those sites were Cane Creek at Fletcher Community Park, French Broad at Westfeldt Park, Glen Bridge River park, Bent Creek River Park, and RAD at the Craven St. Bridge, followed by Mud Creek at 7th Avenue and Brookside Camp Road and the Swannanoa at Azalea Soccer Fields.

Which sites passed?

The 11 sites that were in accordance with the EPA’s limit:

Big Laurel - 150 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Champion Park in Rosman - 100 cgu/100mL

Hap Simpson - 205 cfu/100mL

French Broad at Pearson Bridge - 205 cfu/100 mL

Lake Tomahawk - 50 cfu/100mL

Little River - Hooker Falls, Dupont - 100 cfu/100mL

Pigeon River in Waynesville - 0 cfu/100mL

Pigeon River in Canton - 205 cfu/100mL

Pigeon River put-in/Walter’s Power Plant - 0 cfu/100mL

Lower Pigeon/take-out - 50cfu/100mL

Two sites along the Pigeon River resulted in 0 cfu/100mL, while Lake Tomahawk and the Lower Pigeon river had 50 cfu/100mL.

Each week the MountainTrue team uses this data and takes an additional 50 to 70 samples in an effort to track and eliminate pollution sources. When the source is identified, MountainTrue partners with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to enforce clean water standards and with the Buncombe County Metropolitan Sewer District to fix faulty sewer infrastructure.

How we sample

Each Thursday afternoon throughout the spring, summer and fall, the French Broad Riverkeeper releases new, up-to-date bacteria monitoring results for approximately 30 of the French Broad River’s most popular streams and recreation areas. Results are posted to the Swim Guide website at theswimguide.org — the public’s best resource for knowing which streams and river recreation areas are safe to swim in, and which have failed to meet safe water quality standards for bacteria pollution.

Samples are collected on Wednesdays, processed using the Idexx system, and incubated for 18-22 hours. Results are then analyzed and posted on Thursday afternoons on the Swim Guide website (theswimguide.org) and on the smartphone app, available for Android and iPhones.

The French Broad Riverkeeper uses the EPA’s BAV standard for our bacteria monitoring program. When there are 235 or more colony-forming units within a 100ml sample of water, the EPA estimates that 36 out of every 1000 “primary contact recreators” will get sick or contract an infection. Primary contact recreation are activities where immersion and ingestion are likely and there is a high degree of bodily contact with the water, such as swimming, bathing, surfing, water skiing, tubing, water play by children, or similar water-contact activities. Activities that do not require submersion, like canoeing, have a reduced risk for contracting E. coli or other bacterial infections.

Content provided by MountainTrue.