How is French Broad River water quality after Helene? Safe for swimming, tubing?

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ASHEVILLE - As tubers and paddlers have returned to the French Broad River, water quality monitoring systems have indicated E. coli rates have remained steadily above recommended levels for swimming in most areas of the river. But they have remained similar to pre-Tropical Storm Helene levels.
Before the July 4 holiday, experts suggest river users be aware of water quality and the weather to gauge whether they want to dip in.
"It's really 99% dependent on weather," MountainTrue Clean Waters Director Hartwell Carson told the Citizen Times June 26. Stormwater runoff can lead to pollutants entering streams.
Other reasons the river may fail to meet water quality standards include Helene debris removal efforts stirring up dirt and mud in the river, he said. If water looks murky or muddy, Carson recommended against swimming the river, which has miles-long sections included in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's "impaired" list.
After a string of afternoon storms passed through Asheville the week of June 23, a U.S. Geological Survey gauge indicated E. coli levels in the French Broad River near Asheville's Pearson Bridge reached 3,150 MPN (most probable number) on June 27, according to frenchbroadwaterquality.com, meaning paddlers, tubers and swimmers faced increased risk exposure to the bacteria.
The website is an online indicator of estimated water quality in the French Broad developed by the nonprofit MountainTrue and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
E. coli is a bacteria found in feces of animals such as cattle and goats. It can cause infections in humans that may lead to serious illness, especially in in young children and adults over 65, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to frenchbroadwaterquality.com E. coli values greater than 126 MPN represent increased exposure to the bacteria for swimmers and snorkelers while values over 886 MPN represent a great risk for paddlers and tubers. The estimates are based on turbidity information fed by a device located in the river and on pre-Helene river system conditions.
The estimate is not used to indicate a closure or advisory, but is meant to inform the public there may be increased risk from the bacteria. Historical data provided by the website indicates storms frequently cause E. coli levels to spike well above 2,000 MPN, only to settle within days.
From the headwaters in Rosman, in Transylvania County, to areas near Asheville, the French Broad is "remarkably similar" to its pre-Helene state, Carson told the Citizen Times June 17. And swimming in the river, which can notoriously turn murky after even a small rain shower, may still be possible in select places, according to data from theswimguide.org, which provides data from water quality tests taken by North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and Mountain True.
Tests at Bent Creek River Park, near Zen Tubing, passed 50% of the time as of June 26, when another test was released indicating the park met water quality standards for swimming.
The Pearson Bridge has only passed swimming water quality tests 17% of the time since tests began May 22, according to Swim Guide data. The area is in better shape than in the second quarter of 2021, when only 10% of tests passed, but testing below the second quarters of 2022, 2023 and 2024.
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The National Weather Service has predicted thunderstorms and rain showers will roll through Asheville daily through July 3, though the holiday weekend is looking a "little drier" for those who plan to get in the river, meteorologists say.
"Each day through the middle of the week there will be a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening," National Weather Service Meteorologist Thomas Winesett told the Citizen Times June 27.
Depending on whether a cold front moves through the area on July 4, the weekend could end up with some "pretty nice days" than most days the week of June 30, Winesett said.
E. coli tests are taken in a variety of locations along the French Broad River and in other regional locations daily and weekly. Test results can be viewed online at theswimguide.com. Daily results from the Pearson Bridge are recorded on frenchbroadwaterquality.com.
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More: NC Gov. Stein signs bill into law sending another $500 million to WNC for Helene relief
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [e-mail] or message will_hofmann.01 on Signal.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: French Broad River summer water quality after Tropical Storm Helene?