E. coli spikes at Richmond river spots
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.
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