News

For the first time since water-quality monitoring began in 2015, Durham County has closed the swim area at Falls Lake State Recreation Area.

Read the press release from Durham County.

The problem is excessive levels of E. coli in the water.

“We’ve exchanged email with the Durham County Health Department, and they said they got levels back that were higher than any they’ve ever seen,” said Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop.

The county monitors water quality at the Rolling View recreation area, while Sound Rivers’ Swim Guide covers a site nearby, at Rolling View Marina.

“We’ve never had a Swim Guide fail at Rolling View marina, and the county’s sampling has historically shown bacteria levels within recreational water-quality standards, so they think this may be a ‘one-off’ situation,” Samantha said.

According to an email from a Durham County Public Health supervisor, county staff reported seeing an abnormally high amount of bird feathers on the water surface while collecting water samples on Monday.

“They think it could be a bunch of bird poop in the water,” Samantha said.

Durham County Public Health followed up with more testing on Wednesday and Thursday. Samantha said she hopes to work with county staff to compare and coordinate sampling locations in the future.

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