BERLIN – Assateague Coastkeeper and Assateague Coastal Trust announce the 2017 reporting season for the Swim Guide, an online tool and smartphone app to display local bacteria monitoring data.
The app allows people to find safe beaches and swimming areas to recreate and enjoy their waterways in one easy place. The free smart phone app is available from the App Store, Google Play or www.theswimguide.org.
“The focus of this weekend’s launch of the 2017 Swim Guide is to encourage citizens to celebrate their right to clean, swimmable waters and to promote the importance of responsible stormwater and land management policies in protecting our local waterways,” Assateague Coastkeeper Kathy Phillips said. “Proper disposal of trash, dog waste, and commercial waste is paramount in protecting our local economy which depends on clean, healthy bays and ocean.”
The innovative Swim Guide app originated with a team from the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper chapter, which set out to determine if it was safe to swim in Lake Ontario. Ten years later, in over 7,000 locations worldwide people can now check the status and cleanliness of their local beaches in real time.
Provided and managed by member groups within the Waterkeeper Alliance, a network of over 300 water protection groups worldwide, the Swim Guide helps the user locate the closest, cleanest beach, get directions, view photos and determine if the water is safe for swimming. The Swim Guide also allows the user to share the whole adventure with their friends and family on social networks.
“We are blessed with ocean beaches that are not heavily impacted by stormwater runoff,” said Phillips. “In fact, Ocean City and Assateague Island are nationally ranked each year with some of the cleanest, safest ocean swimming beaches in the country. However, I’m often asked if the creeks and bays are safe to swim in, especially after a heavy rainfall. Our coastal community was shaken last fall by the unfortunate death of a resident from the Vibrio bacteria as a result of bay water contact with an open sore. While Swim Guide does not test for Vibrio specifically, any elevation in bacteria levels in our waterways is reason for concern. The Swim Guide provides a free, easy to use way for swimmers and surfers to see the most recent bacteria data for all their favorite bathing beaches or for waterways they use for direct contact watersports like jet skiing, kayaking and SUP paddling. Swim Guide will help them make informed decisions about whether to swim, paddle or go jet skiing. Swim Guide will help bring this important information to a much wider audience.”
The Swim Guide utilizes water quality monitoring data from government authorities and other organizations conducting routine testing to determine the water quality at nearly 7,000 beaches across North America. Local testing locations in Ocean City, on Assateague Island and in the coastal bays waterways are updated weekly during the swimming season by Worcester County, the National Park Service and Assateague Coastal Trust from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Bacteria data for Ocean City and Assateague Island ocean beaches, the Public Landing pier, Castaways campground, and favorite swimming holes like Horn Island shoals in Isle of Wight Bay, St. Martin River, Herring Creek and Turville Creek are collected, analyzed and the test results are compared to the Environmental Protection Agency’s single test limit for safe swimming levels.
In the Swim Guide app, testing locations in the Ocean City/Assateague area that are below the threshold are green and locations whose most recent results are above the limit are red, representing an increased risk of illness. Certain bayside and creek waterways are impacted by polluted runoff after heavy rainfall and water recreation enthusiasts should be cautious.
“We will also once again partner with the National Park Service and Accomack County to post data on bayside and seaside bathing beaches in northern Accomack County, Va.,” said Phillips, “The Swim Guide helps connect communities to their waterways, raising awareness and appreciation for clean water.”
Visitors to Worcester County and the coastal watershed are encouraged to contact the Coastkeeper if they would like to see additional areas monitored and reported in the Swim Guide App. Coastal bayside waterfront communities like Ocean Pines, Snug Harbor, and others may contact Assateague Coastal Trust to find out how their swimming or water recreation areas can be monitored and added to the Swim Guide if they are interested. They may contact Phillips at 410-629-1538 or [email protected].
Worcester County and Accomack County data will be posted on the Swim Guide website and on the app by Friday, May 26 and each Friday throughout the summer until Labor Day weekend.