Join us in keeping swimmers safe this Summer with free, dependable weekly water quality reports across the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.
Is it safe to swim here? That’s one of the most common questions Catawba Riverkeeper gets asked during the warmer spring and summer months. To help empower you and others across the Catawba-Wateree Basin to decide if an area is safe for swimming, we operate our free Swim Guide program from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Each week over the summer, Catawba Riverkeeper staff and volunteers will collect samples at about 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 our social media platforms (be sure you're following us on your favorite channels) as well as 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.
Did you know that in 2024, 3,472 water sample tests were completed for Swim Guide, with our weekly results being viewed 166,586 times!
We at Catawba Riverkeeper are proud to provide this free and reliable resource to our communities across the Carolinas, but it takes a lot of lab equipment, safety supplies, personnel, and gas mileage both on and off the water in order to offer this free guide to our Catawba-Wateree River Basin community. Will you help us today by giving a gift that will help keep this program running all summer along?
By the numbers
$10 buys 1 bacterial sample
$500 covers the cost of materials required to collect samples and run tests weekly for 1 Swim Guide site during the Summer
$2,500 hires 1 Summer intern who will gain hands on experience while working on a section of the Swim Guide program
$5,000 to cover the personnel expenses incurred by staff, volunteers, and interns for their time and mileage on personal vehicles.
Your gift will be invested back into ensuring that we can continue to offer this free weekly summer resource to everyone throughout the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for several popular Swim Guide sites across the Catawba. Your generous gift of $500 will help ensure that your favorite location continues to have the funding required to regularly test it throughout the season.
Sponsorship requests are granted on a first come, first served basis. Email jenny.m@catawbariverkeeper.org to inquire about availability.
