News

Swim Guide returns with Memorial Day weekend and summer days ahead!

Sound Rivers is launching a fourth year of the public service alerting people to where it’s safe to swim in local waterways, from the Raleigh-Durham area to the Pamlico Sound.

“For those contemplating getting out on the water, it gives them confidence to participate in swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and all other forms of recreation — and it may even inform them of places to recreate they didn’t know existed,” said Clay Barber, Sound Rivers’ environmental projects coordinator.

This year, 46 popular recreation sites along the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico river basins will be sampled weekly by a slew of volunteers. Samples will be tested for the presence of E. coli, which can cause an increased risk of gastrointestinal illness and skin infections for both humans and their pets. Sites will be given a pass/fail designation based on results that meet or exceed federal and state water-quality standards.

“Summertime is a super-popular, water-based recreation season. People are out on the water, and we want to keep them informed about possible dangers, as well as help them plan the safest outing they can have,” Barber said.

Results will be released to the public on Friday afternoons throughout the summer: at soundrivers.org/swimguide, as well as via text. To sign up for text alerts, text “SWIM” to 33222 to have results delivered weekly. For results in Spanish, text “NADAR” to 33222.

Sound Rivers’ Swim Guide program is sponsored by Grady-White Boats, the Water-Quality Monitoring Fund in memory of Gene Pate, UNC-Lenoir Healthcare, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program and a variety of other generous donors.

2021 SWIM GUIDE SITES

UPPER NEUSE & UPPER TAR-PAMLICO

FALLS LAKE

• Hickory Hill Boat Ramp
• Ledge Rock Boat Ramp
• Beaver Dam
• Rolling View Boat Ramp
• Highway 50 Boat Ramp

RALEIGH AREA

• Barton Creek Boat Ramp
• Falls of the Neuse Canoe Launch
• Buffaloe Road Canoe Launch
• Milburnie
• Anderson Point
• Poole Road Canoe Launch

CLAYTON

• Clayton River Walk

SMITHFIELD

• Smithfield Town Commons Park

LOWER NEUSE

KINSTON

• Oak Bluff Road
• Kinston Boating Access Area

NEW BERN

• Core Creek (Ft. Barnwell)
• Cowpen Landing
• Spring Garden Boat Ramp
• Glenburnie
• Bridgeton Park
• Blackbeard Sailing Club (Upper Broad Creek)
• Lawson Creek Park (Trent River)
• East Street Boat Ramp at Pollocksville (Trent River)
• River Bend Kayak Launch (Trent River)
• Trent Woods (Trent River)
• Brice’s Creek
• Slocum Creek

TAR-PAMLICO

ROCKY MOUNT

• Tar River Reservoir
• Battle Park

TARBORO

• River Road

GREENVILLE

• Town Common
• Wildwood Park
• Port Terminal
• Yankee Hall (Pactolus)

WASHINGTON

• Mason’s Landing
• Washington Waterfront
• Havens Garden Boat Ramp
• Chocowinity Bay at Cypress Landing
• Swan Point
• Broad Creek at Pamlico Plantation

BLOUNTS CREEK

• Blounts Bay
• Blounts Creek at Cotton Patch Landing

BATH

• Bath Creek at Bonner Point
• Bath Creek at Plum Point

BELHAVEN

• Pungo River at Woodstock Point