Recreational Water Testing
What we test for . . .(please refer to the bottom of the page for testing analysis results)
The Stone County Health Department Environmental Services Division monitors several swimming areas of the James River for the presence of Escherichia coil (E. coli) bacteria. These organisms are found in the fecal waste of humans and animals. According to the EPA E. coli is the most reliable indicator organism to determine the bacteriological contamination of surface water. When high concentrations of E. coli are found in the water this indicates there is fecal matter in the water. The EPA recommended recreational water quality standard for full body contact swimming for E. coli is 235 organisms per 100 ml for any single sample. Two samples are collected from each swimming area and the arithmetic average is considered to the measure of the bacteriological water quality for that area for that day, and, by extension, for that week. The weekly data will be summarized as a 30-day moving geometric mean as a measure of the general or long-term water quality. The 30-day moving geometric mean should not exceed 126 colonies per 100 mLs. The sources of water contamination are difficult to track to the point of source.
Why we test . . .
Human and animal fecal waste can contain disease-causing organisms. Swimming in water contaminated with fecal waste can expose the swimmer to illness. Children, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems (such as those living with AIDS, those who have received an organ transplant, or those receiving certain types of chemotherapy) can suffer from more severe illness if infected. When the test indicates a swimming area that has E. coli levels that exceed the EPA quality standards of 235 organisms per 100 mLs an advisory is issued and whole body contact swimming in those contaminated areas is NOT recommended. An advisory will be removed when the bacterial levels at the swimming area again meets the bacteriological water quality criteria.
When we test . . .
The Environmental Services Division of the Stone County Health Department monitors the swimming areas weekly to bi-weekly during the recreational season (May through October) pending upon weather conditions.
Where we test . . .
The swimming areas that we monitor of the James River are located beginning in North East Stone County and all the way down to Shoals Landing near Galena. The most northern site is located at the low water bridge near where the Finely and the James rivers merge. The other sites include the river access near McCall Bridge Rd and Greenway Dr., H. L. Kerr Conservation Access and Ralph E. Cox Conservation Access.
Please click on the date(s) below to view the river recreational water testing results.
June 4, 2008
June 10, 2008
June 19, 2008
To view recreational water testing results collected at Table Rock Lake by Table Rock Water Quality, Inc. please click on the following date:
DISCLAIMER The Stone County Health Department website is for informational purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this website is for general information purposes only.