Columbia Water is excited to partner with the Midlands River Coalition to monitor water quality in the Lower Saluda River. The wastewater division will be working with local partners to monitor water quality in the river weekly during summer months to ensure a safe environment for area river users.

Columbia Water is providing funding to aid in the costs of sampling and water testing from eight monitoring locations. Testing was done weekly from June 21 and ran until the end of September 2017. In future years, testing will run May through September.  Collected water quality information will be maintained online at www.HowsMySCRiver.org and updated weekly after sampling and testing. This is the first program of its type for inland waters.

Clint Shealy, Columbia Water’s Assistant City Manager, is looking forward to the City’s involvement in the program. "Columbia Water is pleased to be a part of this river water quality monitoring initiative,” said Shealy. “We hope this information is helpful to our community as we use these precious river resources for recreational purposes."

The Midlands River Coalition is made up of river-related businesses, environmental groups, local and state government, property owners, industry, and other users of the river. Its main purpose is to ensure the safety of individuals during activities on area rivers and to educate the public on issues related to natural waters.