Catawba Riverkeeper 2026 Swim Guide Program
Support Water Quality Monitoring
Support safe swimming this summer!
Protecting Safe Recreation Across the Catawba-Wateree Basin
Every summer, thousands of families, paddlers, swimmers, anglers, and visitors ask a simple question: “Is it safe to swim here?”
Through the nationally recognized Swim Guide program, Catawba Riverkeeper helps answer that question by monitoring water quality at popular swimming and recreation sites across the Catawba-Wateree River Basin.
In partnership with Swim Drink Fish's international Swim Guide program, Catawba Riverkeeper staff, interns, volunteers, and community partners collect and analyze water samples throughout the summer recreation season. Results are published weekly between memorial day weekend and labor day on social media and the Swim Guide website. Catawba Riverkeeper uses an easy-to-understand green, yellow, and red system so the public can make informed decisions before heading to the water. This year we are also expanding our reporting to include guidance for secondary recreations (wading, fishing, kayaking, tubing etc..) following new guidelines from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
Last season alone, Catawba Riverkeeper’s Swim Guide pages received more than 500,000 views, making the program one of the region’s most visible and trusted public service initiatives.
Why Swim Guide Matters
Contact with water containing elevated levels of fecal bacteria can lead to illness, infection, and skin irritation. Swim Guide testing focuses on E. coli, a nationally recognized indicator of fecal contamination and potential sewage pollution.
Each week during the summer:
- Volunteers and staff collect samples across the basin
- Samples are analyzed in Catawba Riverkeeper’s laboratory
- Results are uploaded by Friday afternoon before peak weekend recreation begins
- Data is shared locally and nationally through Swim Guide platforms and social media
The program currently includes:
- 60 monitored swim sites
- 15 volunteer sampling boats
- Dozens of trained volunteers
- Weekly regional public health information
- Internationally visible online reporting
2026 Sponsorship Opportunities
Your sponsorship directly supports:
- Water quality monitoring supplies and lab costs
- Volunteer coordination and training
- Fuel and transportation
- Data reporting and public communication
- Basin-wide recreational safety education
*Site Sponsors who would like to sponsor a site on a specific lake can add the lake name to the "Your Note for the Donor Scroll" section or contact donate@catawbariverkeeper.org
View available sites here: Google Map of Swim Guide Sponsored Sites