Tuesday Rain Increases Bacteria Count for West/Rhode Rivers

The following post was submitted by West/Rhode Riverkeeper and County Councilman Chris Trumbauer (D-6th District). The post focuses on the bacteria levels found in local waterways.

Did you see the tall ships heading up the bay this week? If you missed them you'll have another chance to see them as they head back down the bay on Tuesday.

You can track them on this cool Google map application: www.bit.ly/sailtrack.

Our monitoring crews were out on Wednesday, and we did have several high readings recorded this week. Samples from Holly Hills and Cadle Creek on the Rhode River, and Avalon Shores on the West River were above the EPA single test limit for safe swimming.

Tuesday's rain may be responsible, as stormwater runoff can wash pollution into our rivers. To see the full results of our sampling, click here.

For general information about the risks of swimming and other human health issues, see our one-page sheet on the subject by clicking here.

You can also see our water quality maps generated from our weekly sampling on our website. Click here to check them out!

Thanks for staying informed about water quality on our rivers.