E. coli spikes at Richmond river spots
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Drone shot of the James River. Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Half of the eight Richmond river stations the James River Association monitors were showing elevated levels of E. coli as of Friday.
Why it matters: If you're planning to take a dip in the James during this rare dry and sunny week, you may want to wait — and then double-check river conditions before you go.
State of play: The James River Association collects river samples weekly in Richmond in summer and updates their map every Friday, the nonprofit's riverkeeper Tom Dunlap tells Axios.
- Their latest batch of data shows high to extremely high levels of E. coli in the James from around Belle Isle through Rocketts Landing and Osborne Landing.
- The stats from the previous week showed elevated E. coli readings at all of their Richmond stations.
The big picture: The recent rain and Richmond's 19th-century sewer system are to blame.
- The city's sewer system combines stormwater with sewage, and filters it through Richmond's wastewater treatment plant.
- But when it rains heavily — as it seems to have every other day this month — the treatment plant can become overwhelmed and the excess gets dumped into the James.
- What comes out is 90% stormwater and around 10% wastewater, which includes whatever was flushed down your toilet.
Reality check: Due to wildlife near the river, some amount of E. coli is always in the James, Dunlap says.
Zoom in: According to a review of the city's combined sewer overflow monitors, 11 of its 25 "outfall" stations had at least one overflow last week, some as recently as Sunday.
- Those overflows can push water quality levels beyond what the Virginia Department of Health considers safe for swimming.
- That's why Virginia health officials "advise the public to avoid swimming in natural waterways for three days following rain events," a VDH spokesperson tells Axios.
By the numbers: 235 (CFU/100mL) or below is the magic number for E. coli readings, Dunlap says.
- It's also what all the monitoring stations from Reedy Creek east to Huguenot Flatwater were showing, as of Friday.
At the latest reading, the rest of the monitored spots showed:
- Belle Isle and the Rope Swing at Tredegar: 270
- 14th Street: 328
- Chapel Island: 501
- Rocketts Landing: 2,420
Which means: Swimming is OK from Huguenot Flatwater to Reedy Creek, as of the last reading.
- But Richmonders shouldn't be swimming at the rest, Dunlap says.
- Though, it's likely OK for kayaking or canoeing or recreation where one isn't submerged in the water.
What we're watching: The rain over the weekend means those numbers will likely change and could make more parts of the river unsafe for swimming, Dunlap says.
Pro tip: Dunlap's organization only has funding to do weekly monitoring for now, but he recommends checking the city's combined sewer overflow monitors.
- If you see a lot of red for CSO events, you should pick a different spot in the river.
- Sign up for their newsletter if you want to get the weekly stats in your inbox.
The bottom line: You may want to wait a few days before heading to the river this week