Archived Outdoors
Far western lakes pass E. coli tests
All seven lake sites on the Hiwassee, Nottely and Chatuge rivers, as well as Fires Creek, have passed MountainTrue’s weekly E. coli testing with flying colors so far this summer.
Since Lake Nottely was fully filled, the Meeks Park II site has also been safe for swimming. While typically safe for fishing and paddling, the Hiwassee River at Sweetwater Park and the Hargett Access on the Valley River have failed to meet the safe swimming standards more than half the time. Two additional sites on the Valley River have failed most tests.
Full results for swimming spots nationwide are available at theswimguide.org.
