Swimming advisory issued for Saluda & Congaree rivers

A swimming advisory was issued for portions of the Saluda and Congaree rivers near Columbia because of high bacterial levels found in the water during Wednesday tests.

The advisory covers a stretch of the rivers from the Saluda Shoals Lower landing south to the Rosewood Drive landing according to a tweet from Congaree Riverkeeper. The highest bacterial load of 727 was measured at the station just north of Riverbanks Zoo. A little south at the Riverbanks Zoo bridge the measurement dropped to 548, still too high for safe swimming.

The advisory means the water may contain harmful germs. While most bacteria won’t harm you, disease-causing germs are more likely to live where there is more bacteria, state health officials caution.

You can see the interactive map at the My SC River web site.

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Swimming advisory issued for Saluda & Congaree rivers."