Action
Swim Guide
The Swim Guide Program
Cape Fear River Watch monitors recreational areas in the Cape Fear River Basin and its tributaries for E. coli and Enterococci. These pathogens are present in the gut of warm-blooded animals and humans and can pose health risks for recreators in the water. Testing for these pathogens provides insight on water quality.
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From early May through Labor Day weekend, Cape Fear River Watch collects water samples and provides up-to-date data on the health of our local waterways, viewable by the public. We hope to assist our community in making safe and smart decisions when it comes to recreating in our rivers and creeks. Samples are collected on a bi-weekly basis, with results posted on our Swim Guide affiliate page.
Each recreational area is marked as pass or fail based on the most probable number of bacterial colonies present in 100 mL of water.
- If a freshwater sample has more than 235 E. coli colonies in it, it’s marked red for fail
- If a freshwater sample has less than 235 E. coli colonies in it, it’s marked green for pass
- If a brackish sample has more than 104 enterococci colonies in it, it’s marked red for fail
- If a brackish sample has less than 104 enterococci colonies in it, it’s marked green for pass
More ACTION items
This map shows all of our current Swim Guide locations.
- A red icon indicates that the site did not pass safe recreational water quality standards.
- A green icon indicates that the site is safe for recreating!
- A yellow icon indicates that it’s been at least a few days since our last monitoring trip, so you should recreate at your own risk.
Click on an icon to learn more about the site!
Cape Fear River Watch | 617 Surry Street | Wilmington, NC 28401 | Phone: 910.762.5606
