Support the Swim Guide Program

Is it safe to swim here? That’s one of the most common questions Riverkeepers get during the summer. To help empower you to decide if an area is safe for swimming, the Catawba Riverkeeper operates the Swim Guide program from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Each week over the summer, Catawba Riverkeeper staff and volunteers will collect samples at 60 popular swimming areas to test for E. coli. Results will be posted on Fridays, so you’ll be informed for the weekend.

Results will be shared on the national Swim Guide map (accessible online and via the Catawba Riverkeeper app) and will follow a stoplight system to help you easily understand results. Locations that come back with high amounts of E. coli will be marked red.

Site sponsorships are $500 and cover the cost of materials required to collect samples and run tests weekly for each site. Lake sponsorships are $5,000 and cover the personnel expenses incurred by staff and interns for time and mileage.

Select your site/lake by typing in the name of the site/lake after you hit "donate once" on the main giving page. Sponsorship requests are granted on a first come, first served basis. Sites must be chosen from the list of sites on the Swim Guide webpage.

Lake/River Sponsorships Available:

• Lake James
• Lake Rhodhiss
• Lake Norman
• Mountain Island Lake
• South Fork River
• Lake Wylie - Sponsored by the Borman Family
• Free Flowing Catawba below Lake Wylie Dam
• Fishing Creek Lake
• Lake Wateree