Source Information
St. Mary’s Riverkeeper monitors water quality at 45 sites throughout the watershed in Florida and Georgia. Anna Laws is the Riverkeeper. If testing results raise an alarm, we assess the situation and often do additional testing and follow the science upstream to identify and hopefully initiate corrective action to relieve the problem.
Water at most sites is sampled for E. coli bacteria. Some sites have additional chemical data gathered on a regular basis which may include: specific conductance, Dissolved Oxygen, Total Dissolved Solids, PH, Salinity, Temperature and Turbidity.
Results are communicated to the public on the St. Mary’s Riverkeeper web site as well as Georgia’s Adopt-A-Stream database. Press releases to local media outlets often result in visibility in local publications.
The EPA E. coli standards for human recreation are or a one-time measurement equal to or less than 235 cfu/100 ml (Note: EPA BAV: 235 E. coli/100 mL)
A swim is marked GREEN when it meets the EPA’s recommended limit of E. coli for recreational waters, or less than 235 cfu/100 ml.
A beach is marked RED when results are equal to or more than 235 cfu/100 ml.
A beach is marked GREY when reliable information is not available.
