Is the Water Safe? There's an App for That

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, two local Riverkeeper organizations announced Thursday the release of a new smartphone phone app that allows residents to track bacteria levels in local waterways.

West/Rhode Riverkeeper and Anne Arundel County Councilman Chris Trumbauer (D-6th District) along with the South River Federation jointly celebrated the release of Swim Guide, the app that displays bacteria monitoring data.

The app is an embodiment of the Clean Water Act, Trumbauer said, as it promotes citizens rights' to clean, swimmable waterways.

“One of the most frequent questions I am asked as Riverkeeper is ‘Is it safe to swim in the rivers?’” Trumbauer said. “The Swim Guide provides a free, easy to use way for swimmers see the most recent bacteria data for their favorite swimming hole, and to make informed decisions about whether to swim.”

The app is available free on smartphones and is managed by member groups within the Waterkeeper Alliance, a national coalition of professionals focused on protecting local waters. Specifically on the South, West and Rhode rivers, trained volunteers will gauge and analyze the water’s quality and then submit it to the Swim Guide app.

When looking at the app, testing locations on local rivers that are safe for swimming are designated with a green color, but those that have high bacteria readings and are unsafe are colored red. Swimming in red areas means facing an increased risk of illness, according to a release.

Erik Michelsen, executive director of the South River Federation, said informing the public is one of the most important parts of his job—something the app will help with.

“Dead zones and fish kills are a community concern, but few things capture the public’s attention like increased risks to human health,” Michelsen said.

The Swim Guide app shows data for nearly 2,500 beaches ranging from British Columbia to California, according to a release.