Friends of the Shenandoah River (FOSR) launched our Summer E. coli Testing Program at public access locations on the Main-stem, South Fork, and North Fork of the Shenandoah River yesterday, Tuesday May 21, 2024. We started this program in 2017 to let you, the river user, make an informed decision as to potential related health risks when engaging in primary recreational use activities in the river at the sites tested. The FOSR provides unrestricted access to our water-quality data. We ask that acknowledgment and credit is given when using and referring to these data. In order to continue to provide you with these data we hope that you will support us with a donation.
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. On May 21, 2024, 3 out of 15 of the sites tested exceeded the criteria utilized by FOSR of 235 E. coli CFU/100 ml.
Prior to October 2019, Virginia’s water quality standard for freshwater beach advisories or closures was a single sample maximum of 235 E. coli CFU/100 ml of sample. Virginia no longer has a single, instantaneous, sample maximum or any criteria for primary recreational contact in freshwaters.
