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Testing shows water in Tuckaseigee safe to play in, mostly clean.By Dave Russell The N.C.Department of Environmental Quality last week released its annual Western North Carolina Recreational Monitoring Program results, offering a snapshot of area water quality.To kick off the release, DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson visited Jean Webb Park on the French Broad River to demonstrate how DEQ’s Division of Water Resources samples for E.coli in WNC waterways.The presence of elevated E.coli levels in streams, lakes and rivers is an indication of an increased presence of fecal contamination, which has been shown to co-occur with gastrointestinal illness.coli (Escherichia coli) is a type of bacteria that lives in the intestines of people and animals and is commonly found in human and animal feces.Most strains of E.coli are harmless, but some can make people sick.Water quality testing measures the most probable number of E.coli bacteria per 100 mL of water, indicating the number of cells viable enough to proliferate.A measurement of 125 mpn or less is within primary recreation guidance, safe for swimming and snorkeling.Between 126-886 is safe for secondary recreation, such as kayaking, tubing or wading.Anything over 886 is considered a health risk for both primary and secondary recreation.The Watershed Association of the Tuckaseigee River performed the monitoring and sent results to the DEQ.Good results in the south Test results on the Tuckaseigee show its waters start out clean down south.Looking at the West Fork, the Pine Creek access at Lake Glenville registered a 9.80.The report notes the samples were taken after it had rained, which can inflate numbers, according to WATR Director Jennifer Cooper.Further downstream at Lake Thorpe Access the water tested at 11.90.On the East Fork side, Shook Cove Access registered a 2.00.From there, the numbers jump as the river flows northward.East LaPorte reported 70.80 and the Cullowhee Access Area a 73.80.A big jump occurs between there and the Locust Creek Access, as the numbers jump to 186.00, but the water is still safe for secondary recreation, such as kayaking, tubing or wading.Webster’s access near the intersection of N.C.116 and Old Settlement Road recorded a 144 reading.The CJ Harris put-in at the intersection of Yellow Bird Branch and North River roads registered a 132.00.Dillsboro’s access at Scotts Creek registered a 387.00, still safe for secondary recreation.Numbers drop to 142.00 by the time the river meanders its way to the Barkers Creek Access and further still at the Whittier River Access near the N.C.74 bridge, then jump to 517.00 at the Ela Access after the Oconaluftee joins the Tuckaseigee.Testing at the Oconaluftee Island Park in Cherokee reveals a 47.90 reading and at the U.S.Geological Survey gage near the Hyatt Creek Road bridge over the Oconaluftee shows 80.50.WATR tests 17 sites in the Tuckaseigee watershed, Cooper said.The testing for the DEQ report took place over two days, June 2 and 3.The significant increase in numbers between the Thorpe site and the East LaPorte site has to do with more human activity along the waterways, Cooper said.“The river has had time to go by civilization, basically,” she said.“It goes through Tuckasegee, it flows through some farming country.The East LaPorte sampling site is just downstream from the confluence with Caney Fork which goes by some agriculture.There’s more chance for agricultural runoff.If someone has cows that are getting in the stream, for instance, or someone might have a compromised septic system.” The test numbers might have had a bump up due to recent rains.“If you have, for example, a cow pasture, and it rains, that brings more runoff to the river,” she said.“It kind of washes the bacteria from the land into the stream.” A report from the National Institutes of Health says that while fish do not contract or suffer from E.coli because they are cold-blooded, their surfaces and digestive tracts can become contaminated by the bacteria E.coli was found on anglers’ hands whether or not they handled or interacted with resident fish.The study suggests that fishing in rivers with heavy bacterial loading from agricultural runoff may expose anglers to potentially harmful E.Cleaner future WATR is always looking for ways to clean up the local waterways.“We’ve been working on a watershed action plan for Scotts Creek and Savannah Creek, those are kind of the most imperiled waterways in the Tuckaseigee watershed,” Cooper said.“Through that, we can get some grant funding to help tackle sources of E.If there are cows getting in the river, if there are compromised septic systems.We’re doing the sampling to figure out what’s good and what’s not good and then hopefully if we see something that is not good we can tackle that later on.” To learn more about WATR, visit www.protectourwaters-wnc.org.