Kids are back to school, and the summer is almost over, but Labor Day Weekend has people searching for great, clean places to swim. In order to help Satilla River enthusiasts make the most of this holiday weekend, the Satilla Riverkeeper, in partnership with Swim Guide, wants to answer the question “Can I swim here?”
Swim Guide is a free smartphone app for iPhone® and Android, also available on the web. On the Satilla River, Swim Guide helps you find the closest swim spot, know if the water quality is safe for swimming, and share it with your friends and family. Through Swim Guide, the Satilla Riverkeeper provides the most up to date water quality information to 10 public access points to the Satilla River so you find the best place to swim or cool off this holiday weekend.
In anticipation for Labor Day weekend, the Satilla Riverkeeper recommends these top three beaches for their popularity with Swim Guide and consistent water quality (they passed water quality tests 100% of the time in 2017): Best Water Quality, U.S. 301 Landing , Nahunta (https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/7888) With a perfect water quality for two summers in a row, U.S. 301 Landing has the most consistent clean and safe water for a swim; Best Kept Secret, Warners Landing, Hortense (https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/7328) With only 250 views on Swim Guide since the first of the year, the 100% water quality rating at this landing has only been enjoyed by some; Most Popular, Altman Ferry Landing, Hoboken (https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/7327) With a 100% water quality rating and almost two times as many views on Swim Guide as other Satilla River public access points, Altman Ferry is easily the Satilla’s most popular swim spot this summer.
The Satilla Riverkeeper monitors water quality at ten recreational sites on the Satilla River through the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream volunteer monitoring program. Water samples are taken monthly between May and October and are tested for E. coli bacteria. Results are immediately posted Swim Guide.
On Swim Guide, a beach is marked GREEN when the results meet the EPA’s E. coli standard for human recreation (a one-time measurement that is equal to or less than 235 cfu/100 ml). A beach is marked RED when results exceed those standards (a one-time measurement that is equal to or more than 235 cfu/100 ml). A beach is marked GREY when reliable information is not available. E. coli can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal issues. E. coli present in streams is generally caused by agricultural runoff of animal waste or untreated human waste from faulty septic systems, leaky sewer pipes, or sewage spills.
Contact the Satilla Riverkeeper at (912) 510-9500 or email Rachael@SatillaRiverkeeper.org for more information on our volunteer water quality monitoring program, and to find out how you can help protect the Satilla River.
