Friends of the Shenandoah River

09.24.2026 KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! 2026 Summer E. coli Testing Program

Final Sample Collection Update

Today marks the final round of water sample collection for the Friends of the Shenandoah River’s 2026 ⚠️ KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! Summer Weekly E. coli Testing Program. 🧪💧

It feels as though the seasonal transition happened overnight.  I was greeted this morning by crisp autumn air and cooler water temperatures, accompanied by some much-needed recent rainfall across the watershed. 🌧️

A Few Takeaways from Today:

  • Air vs. Water Temperatures: Upon reaching the first monitoring site early this morning, the air temperature was 47°F while the water temperature was a little warmer at 63.5°F. 🌡️ 
  • Coldest Site Recorded: Hawksbill Creek registered the lowest water temperature of the day at 57.2°F.

  • Water Levels: Despite the recent rain, water levels remain low, lots of catching up to do 🪣

  • Too Cold for Some Insects: A lot less bugs, there weren’t any gnats or mosquitos biting at my ears 🦟

Laboratory analysis for this final round of E. coli samples is currently underway, this final set of results will be posted tomorrow.📊  So be sure to check back in!

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E. Coli Test results for September 24, 2026

These results provide a snapshot of the E. coli bacteria concentrations at the designated sites on the date, time, and under the conditions that the water samples were collected.

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Test Results Archive

E. coli Levels Decrease, But Some Sites Still Elevated

There was a noticeable decrease in the E. coli levels at all of the sites monitored yesterday, Wednesday July 09, compared to a week ago. However, the E. coli level at three of the sites

CODE RED for ALL Sites Tested

All four sites tested on the Shenandoah River Main-stem, along with three sites on the South Fork and three on the North Fork, had elevated E. coli levels exceeding the EPA’s recommended “do not exceed”

Water levels at all the sites we tested have decreased since last week

The water levels at all the sites we tested have decreased since last week, additionally, at many of the sites the water was less turbid/muddy, improving the water’s clarity. In the midst of this recent

CODE RED DAY on the SHENANDOAH RIVER

Heads up, folks! The water sample results from yesterday’s testing are in — and it’s not good news Due to high levels of bacterial contamination from fecal matter at the majority of the sites tested

North Fork appeared significantly more turbid, higher E. coli levels than the South Fork

On June 11, 2025, while collecting water samples for Friends of the Shenandoah River’s summer E. coli testing program, we observed that the North Fork appeared significantly more turbid and had higher E. coli levels

Did you know your donation of any amount will help continue this testing program? https://fosr.org/donate/ Good news for the Shenandoah River sites we tested on June 4! All 13 public access sites showed E. coli

The results of the water samples collected yesterday, Thursday, May 29, show that 11 out of 14 testing sites along the Shenandoah River at public access sites had E. coli levels above the U.S. Environmental

We have officially launched our 2025 Summer E. coli Testing Program! Last week’s measurable rainfall appears to have helped flush out contaminants that accumulated during the drought. As a result, E. coli levels were low

With community interest and support we were able to collect a water sample at site FPHCTL on Hawksbill Creek yesterday, Thursday October 3, catching the tail end of the flooding caused by rains from the

This is the first time, out of 17 weekly E. coli testing events, that the E. coli level at site FPHCTL, Hawksbill Creek at the Pocket Park downstream of Greenway pedestrian bridge adjacent to Virginia

Collecting the 1st Water Sample of the Day Using the Headlights of the Car to Illuminate the Way Below is the link to the E. coli results for the water samples collected on, 09.03.2024, as

Below is the link to the E. coli results for the water samples collected yesterday, 08.29.2024, as part of Friends of the Shenandoah River’s Summer E. coli Testing Program. The Friends of the Shenandoah River

Below is the link to the E. coli results for the water samples collected yesterday, 08.21.2024, as part of Friends of the Shenandoah River’s Summer E. coli Testing Program. The Friends of the Shenandoah River

These are the E. coli bacteria results for the water samples that were collected yesterday, Thursday August 15, 2024. While the Rivers were still flowing swiftly and the levels slightly elevated yesterday, the water levels

Below is the link to FOSR’s 2024 Summer E. coli Testing Program results that have been accumulated through Tuesday, August 6, 2024. The Site IDs have been colored-coded to aid in identifying the part of