Western North Carolina Alliance recently partnered with the Waterkeeper Swim Guide to help answer a fundamentally important question about our waterways: “Are they safe to swim?”
“Waterkeeper Swim Guide” is a website and free app that displays water quality data in simple terms so people can determine the safety of using a specific swimming hole based on the assessment of E. coli levels and whether those levels are safe, as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA and the state have a lot of water quality data, but it’s often outdated and buried in complicated reports, said Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper with WNCA.
“The existing water quality data is interesting, but it wasn’t very helpful to tubers, boaters, and people who love to take a swim in many of our beautiful streams and rivers,” Carson said. “What the public really needs is a tool that would tell you where the closest swimming areas are located and which ones are safe for swimming.”
Carson and many volunteers began testing the French Broad River and several streams and tributaries in 2010.
This work has grown recently with the help of partners such as Headwaters Outfitters and Asheville Outdoor Center, which has allowed the Riverkeeper to gather data from a broader area of the watershed.
The sampling process currently includes 10 frequently used areas of the river, from the headwaters in Rosman to popular tubing sections of the river through Asheville.
The latest results from the Swim Guide indicate that cooling off with a tube down the river is usually a great idea—but after moderate to heavy rain, E. coli levels can spike, posing a health risk for those getting in the water. Sources of pollution after a rain may include runoff from animal operations, sewage overflows, and even legacy bacteria being stirred up from river sediment.
But the Waterkeeper Swim Guide will help you find your closest swimming holes and determine whether they are safe for swimming.
The guide’s information will grow as we add more volunteer partners.
Visit https://www.theswimguide.org/ to check it out, or download the app from your Apple or Android store.
©Jeff Rich/WNCA STFB 2012
Join the Western North Carolina Alliance and our French Broad Riverkeeper on a unique journey down the French Broad River!
This guided trip will take participants from the headwaters on French Broad River over 115 miles into Tennessee, camping out along the French Broad River Paddle Trail℠.
Leaving the food, boats, shuttle and logistics up to us and just enjoy a scenic relaxing float down the French Broad River. The French Broad River is one of the oldest rivers in the world and the paddle trail, that was recently opened by WNCA, was recently featured top four must-do activities in the region by Blue Ridge Outdoors.
We now have a two, four-, and five-day trip options, so book your trip today because we always sell out quickly!
Come out on May 17 to help WNCA and our friends at Headwaters Outfitters at the 23rd annual spring French Broad River cleanup.
We’ll provide breakfast, lunch and good music!
This event is free, but spaces are limited and a reservation is required.
Call Headwaters Outfitters at (828) 877-3106, or visit www.headwatersoutfitters.com for more information and to reserve your spot.
AmeriCorps Project Conserve is a national service program in which members come from across the nation to dedicate themselves to serving Western North Carolina for an 11-month service term. Members are selected based on skill, education, experience, passion and commitment to service. Project Conserve was founded in September of 2004 as an initiative of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (CMLC) to respond to the growing conservation needs in Western North Carolina. The program focuses on collaboration with nonprofit organizations, community groups and local governments to provide service throughout the region.
WNCA has listed the following positions with AmeriCorps Project Conserve:
- French Broad Assistant Riverkeeper
- The French Broad Riverkeeper Assistant will work with the French Broad Riverkeeper to protect and improve the water quality in the French Broad River watershed by engaging in water sampling, education, direct conservation, and volunteer recruitment.
- Forest Keeper Coordinator
- Forest Keepers are citizens that love their public lands and take an active role in their stewardship and management to help protect and restore these precious forests in a time of declining government funding. The Forest Keeper Coordinator will work with a group of dedicated Forest Keepers to schedule service learning events, organize stewardship activities, archive data, and facilitate citizen involvement in land management in the biologically and culturally rich Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Outings and Education Coordinator
- The Outings and Education Coordinator will work to engage citizens in environmental protection in Western North Carolina through outings such as hikes and paddle trips, outreach, and environmental education in both schools and the community. The Coordinator will also host a variety of educational events including the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and Asheville’s weekly Green Drinks’ programs.
We need you to help maintain and improve the world-class French Broad River Paddle Trail℠℠. If you want to lend a hand, please contact Kirby Callaway, assistant French Broad Riverkeeper, by calling (828) 258-8737, ext. 212, or email Kirby@WNCA.org.
April 10
10 a.m-4 p.m.
Meet: At the Marathon Gas Station on Highway 64 (map)
Bring: Loppers, gloves, lunch, water. If you don’t have any tools, let Kirby know and we will provide extra.
Project: At the Little River Campsite, we will be completing work on our new composting toilet, building a new picnic table, and cleaning up invasives around the property.
April 22
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Meet: In Marshall (map)
Bring: Personal boat, weed-eater, loppers, gloves, lunch and water. Let Kirby know if you do not have these items and we will provide them.
Project: We will be cleaning up the Evan’s Island Campsite. General maintenance will include weed-eating, mowing, and clearing debris from the tent sites. We will also be repairing tent sites and leveling them for the summer. Evan’s Island is a paddle-in only site, so we will put in the river a few miles above and paddle to the site.
April 29
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Meet: Ingles parking lot (6478 Brevard Road in Etowah)
Bring: Chainsaws, loppers, gloves, lunch, water. Let Kirby know if you do not have these tools.
Project: At the Rhodes Ranch Campsite we will be building a trail throughout the campsite, cleaning up invasives along the riverbank, and sawing logs in the river that are obstructing the trail.
Western North Carolina Alliance recently partnered with the Waterkeeper Swim Guide to help answer a fundamentally important question about our waterways: “Are they safe to swim?”
