A swim guide maintained by the Lake James Environmental Association and Catawba Riverkeeper will be assessing the water quality of popular swimming sites around Lake James all summer long.

It’s common knowledge that the Catawba River is cleaner the closer you get to its headwaters on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But how clean is the water swirling around in Lake James?

For all you swimmers, paddle boarders, and kayakers, there’s a way you can check the present water quality before taking a plunge.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the Lake James Environmental Association (LJEA), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the long-term environmental health of Lake James and its watershed, and Catawba Riverkeeper (CR), an organization preserving and restoring the Catawba-Wateree River Basin, you can know before you go.

These two conservation groups work with volunteers to routinely sample the water at popular swimming sites around Lake James. This includes Goat Island, Paddy’s Creek, Camp Lake James, Bear Creek, North Fork, Burnette’s Landing, Moose Lodge, and Greenlee Park.

All of this helps Lake James State Park fulfill its commitment to Burke and McDowell.

“We’re very grateful to Catawba Riverkeeper and LJEA for their continued efforts to monitor the water quality of Lake James,” says Park Ranger Jenny Hughes. “Empowering park visitors with the knowledge they need to keep their families safe and healthy while playing in the water supports the park’s mission to provide quality recreation opportunities for the community.”

The May 30th map of the Swim Guide shows that all but Greenlee Park were designated safe for swimming last weekend.

The swim guide will be maintained all summer long, assessing the water presence of E. coli.

Swimming sites around Lake James will receive one of three designations:

Green (low E. coli, safe to swim)
Yellow (no recent E. coli data, swim at own risk)
Red (high E. coli, not recommended for swimming)

A group of bacteria that live inside your gut, most E. coli “are harmless and are part of a healthy intestinal tract,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “E. coli help us digest food, produce vitamins, and protect us from harmful germs.”

Still, some can make you very sick, causing infections in your gut, urinary tract, and other parts of the body. Fortunately, LJEA and CR are doing their part to keep us safe and informed.

In addition to checking water quality for recreating, you can do several things to prevent E. coli infections. The CDC provides a few recommendations:

Keep your hands clean by washing them regularly. If you’re eating after swimming, be certain to scrub your hands with soap before jumping into that midday snack.
Avoid drinking unsafe water, including unpurified water from the lake, streams, or rivers.
Be sure to close your mouth when going underwater. This reduces the chances of unintentionally swallowing lake water.

By following LJEA and CR on Facebook, you’ll receive regular water quality updates.

“Every week, we'll share the results so that you can make informed decisions about where you swim over the weekend,” LJEA wrote on its Facebook page on May 31st.

Although the program is already underway, they’re still looking for volunteers to assist with collecting and running samples from specific sites on Lake James. LJEA and CR are requesting backup boat captains and “runners to transport the water samples.”

Sounds like a fun way to steward this aquatic treasure. And help keep our community members safe.

Those interested in volunteering have been instructed to email Catawba Riverkeeper’s Volunteer Community Science Manager Kaity D’Angelo at kaity.d@catawbariverkeeper.org.

Here’s How to Check Lake James’ Water Quality Before You Swim