Latest news with #SoundRivers
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
11 North Carolina river sites fail fecal bacteria testing this week, group says
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — More than 10 North Carolina river sites failed water-quality testing for the week — with one spot in Raleigh among those that didn't meet standards for E. coli bacteria, according to Sound Rivers. During the summer months, the group checks dozens of sites along rivers in the state from the Raleigh-Durham area all the way to the North Carolina coast. 'We've had a lot of heavy rain lately, so that stormwater runoff can put a lot of bacteria in our waterways,' Clay Barber, Sound Rivers' program director, said in a news release. This week, two sites in the Raleigh area failed the tests. One site was the Poole Road Canoe Launch, located on the Neuse River at 1721 Riverview Road in southeast Raleigh. The other site along the Upper Neuse River that failed was the Clayton River Walk, at 2671 Covered Bridge Road, just south of Clayton, Sound Rivers reported. The Clayton River Walk meets water quality standards less than 60 percent of the time. Volunteers with Sound Rivers gather water samples from about 50 popular recreation sites weekly, with pass/fail results released to the public in their Swim Guide, providing an easy way to find out where it's safe to swim. The Neuse (upper and lower) and Tar-Pamlico watersheds cover nearly a quarter of North Carolina, the group says. Along the Lower Neuse portion, four sites failed testing, which means there were elevated levels of fecal bacteria, which brings an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness, the group reported. Sound Rivers reported the sites that failed were: Maple Cypress Boat Ramp southeast of Grifton, Cow Pen Landing south of Vanceboro, Spring Garden near New Bern and Slocum Creek in Havelock. Closer to the coast, in the Tar-Pamlico watershed, five sites failed, Sound Rivers reported: Port Terminal just outside Greenville, Yankee Hall Road in Pactolus, the Washington Waterfront, Havens Gardens in Washington, and Pamlico Plantation along Broad Creek near the Pamlico River. In areas of salt water, Sound Rivers checks for enterococci to determine if a river site is safe for their Swim Guide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
2 North Carolina river sites fail E. coli testing this week after 12 last week
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A nonprofit group that tests more than 50 sites weekly along North Carolina rivers reported Friday just two areas failed for testing of fecal bacteria levels this week. Sound Rivers monitors and tests rivers throughout the summer from the Durham and Raleigh area to the coast. This week, nearly all river sites were clear after 12 river areas failed testing last week. 'Last week's results were likely due to the rain we had prior to testing,' Clay Barber, Sound Rivers' program director, said in a news release. 'Any time there's a hard rain, water quality can be affected by the influx of stormwater into the waterways because stormwater runoff can carry some pretty nasty stuff off the land and into the water.' Don't swim in these North Carolina river areas; 12 sites fail fecal bacteria testing, group says The upper Neuse River watershed had no sites that failed for E. coli testing, the group said. However, two sites in the lower Neuse River watershed failed — meaning there were elevated levels of fecal bacteria, which brings an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness, Sound Rivers reported. The Maple Cypress Boat Ramp in Grifton failed along with Slocum Creek near Havelock, the group said. Several areas closer to the coast passed the testing, but five areas at Lake Royale were not checked this week. In areas of salt water, Sound Rivers checks for enterococci for their Swim Guide. Five sites were not texted in the upper Neuse this week: Clayton River Walk, Neuse Golf Club, Smithfield Town Commons, Hickory Hill, and Ledge Rock. Based in Raleigh, New Bern, and Washington, Sound Rivers has worked for more than 40 years to help improve the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
12 North Carolina river sites fail fecal bacteria testing this week, group says
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Amid runoff from various storms in North Carolina this week, a dozen river swimming sites failed fecal bacteria testing, according to a group that samples more than 50 areas across the state each week. Sound Rivers' weekly Swim Guide report, released on Friday, found three sites in the Upper Neuse and nine sites in Tar-Pamlico and Lower Neuse watersheds that failed testing. 'These results are likely due to the rain we've seen lately, and the fact that all the bad stuff on land has gotten washed into the waterways,' Clay Barber, Sound Rivers' program director, said in a news release. Sound Rivers' staff test samples for E. coli in fresh water and enterococci in salt water and pass/fail results are released to the public, providing a quick way to check where it's safe to swim. A failing grade means elevated levels of fecal bacteria, which can increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness and skin infections for pets and humans, officials said. In the Upper Neuse area, the group said three sites failed this week: Clayton River Walk, Neuse Golf Club and Smithfield Town Commons. In the Tar-Pamlico watershed, just two sites failed this week. The failing sites were Port Terminal near Greenville and Yankee Hall Road – Pactolus. The vast majority of sites that failed this week were in the Lower Neuse watershed: Highway 11 boat ramp near Kinston Oak Bluff Road near Kinston Maple Cypress Boat Ramp Pollocksville Slocum Creek in Havelock Midyette Street in Oriental John Bond Beach in Oriental The Swim Guide is a water-quality program conducted locally by Sound Rivers, an environmental nonprofit based in Raleigh, New Bern and Washington, whose mission is to keep North Carolina's waterways fishable, swimmable and drinkable. This summer marks the eighth year of Swim Guide in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds. The sites are tested weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
