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!



