No swim advisories lifted on two Columbia rivers

Bacteria pollution that led to no-swim advisories on parts of the Congaree and Saluda rivers last week has cleared up and the waterways are safe for swimming, wading and other recreational activities, according to an organization that monitors water quality in the Columbia area.

The HowsMySCRiver Coalition reports that three sites where pollution levels remained high last week no longer pose a threat for swimmers.

“All of our samples came back good and there are no longer advisories in place,’’ said Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler, whose group spearheads the sampling effort for the river coalition. The area of concern extended from below Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo to the Blossom Street bridge in Columbia.

Bacteria levels went up after the remnants of Hurricane Irma moved through the area Sept. 11. Follow-up tests showed bacteria dropped to safe levels at two spots, but remained high at three. That led to more tests, which found Thursday that all pollution levels were within safe standards.

The Congaree and Saluda are vulnerable to pollution from sewage treatment plants that either spill wastewater or don’t treat it properly, but Stangler said the recent problems appear to be related to stormwater runoff.

“It’s hard to say definitely what caused it, but I’m comfortable that it was probably runoff,’’ Stangler said.

The testing by the HowsMySCRiver Coalition has been conducted weekly this summer with relatively few problems until last week. Last week’s advisories were the most issued since the coalition of governments and environmental groups began sampling water quality on the Saluda and Congaree in June.

Elevated bacteria can sicken people who come in contact with the water.

The HowsMySCRiver Coalition has a range of members, including the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the University of South Carolina’s public health school, the city of Columbia and several private utilities.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "No swim advisories lifted on two Columbia rivers."