HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Channel 9′s Jonathan Lowe got the chance to see how the Catawba Riverkeeper and his team collect water samples along the Catawba River Basin during the summer to ensure the water is safe for swimming.
Brandon Jones, the Catawba Riverkeeper, said 60 samples are collected weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
“Temperature of the water ... how much dissolved oxygen there is in the water,” Jones explained about some parts of the sampling.
They take note of how cloudy the water sample is and also test for fecal bacteria.
So far this summer, Mecklenburg County has issued at least four swimming advisories for either Lake Norman or Lake Wylie.
Jones said he’s noticed the county has increased how many advisories it has pushed out this year.
“They’ve got this new tech system,” Jones said. “They’re really integrated their Storm Water with the Department of Health and Human Services,” Jones said.
He said the public’s demand on the Catawba Riverkeeper website spikes any time there is a sewage spill that impacts a lake.
Jones said 96% of their samples come back safe for swimming.
“Right after a rainstorm, when the water looks really brown, that’s when we see the highest levels of contamination,” he said.
VIDEO: Part of Lake Wylie under ‘no swim’ advisory after sewage spill
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