By:  Eric Reutebuch, Lake Watch Past President
 Appeared in Lake Magazine, July 2022 Edition

Lake Watchers have been hard at work initiating the new Swim Alert monitoring program since my last article describing our swim alert vision in April’s issue of Lake magazine. We have identified popular swimming spots in and around Lake Martin; built webpages for posting and accessing swim-site test results; initiated Lake Watch bacteria monitoring at the sites; and posted results on our Swim Alert website at www.lakewatch.org/swim-alert. Thanks to Lake Watch’s fabulous monitor coordinator, Ann Campbell, and dedicated water monitors, Lake Watch Swim Alert is now a reality.

We are working on getting the word out to the Lake Martin community so that all can avail of this information. Thus far, Swim Alert has been posted in many places online, including the Lake Watch website at lakewatch.org, the Lake Watch of Lake Martin Facebook page, lakemagazine.life,  nextdoor.com, the City of Alexander City’s Facebook page, Lake Martin Homeowners and Boat Owners’ website at lakemartinhobos.com and the Lake Martin HOBOs Facebook page. We welcome suggestions and help to spread the word about Swim Alert to the lake community.

As stated in our last article, we are testing for E. coli bacteria at swim areas. If E. coli is present, the water is contaminated with feces of a warm-blooded animal and considered unsafe for swimming (when the contamination is above 235 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water – about half a cup). I’m sure that none of us want to swim in poopy water.

Popular and regularly visited swim sites were at the top of the list for monitoring site selection. Several are developed swim beaches. They include Wind Creek State Park beach, D.A.R.E. Park beach, Camp Alamisco swim area, Camp ASCCA swim area, Kowaliga Restaurant beach, Willow Point Country Club beach, Big Beach and Villas on the Harbor Pier adjacent to Harbor Point Marina beach. Lake Watch volunteers also monitor the popular swimming area on Hillabee Creek right above the state Route 22 bridge and the popular canoe take-out site at Jaybird Landing in the uppermost reach of Lake Martin.

Additional testing sites include two on the upper lake above Coley Creek. One is near the community of Andrew Jackson, and the other is a bit above the confluence of Coley Creek and the lake. These last two sites are not swim areas; they are considered sentinel sites for detection of bacterial contamination coming from the watershed above the lake and flowing down the Tallapoosa River into the lake. We are still working to add monitors at other swim sites.

For most of the lake, bacterial contamination is not an issue, but there are a few areas that have issues. Thus far, at the time of submission of this article, two areas have repeatedly had E. coli contamination at unsafe levels this year: Jaybird Landing has tested high in E. coli in six out of nine tests, as did the swimming area at Hillabee Creek in six out of 10 tests. Jaybird Landing had a high of 1,800 E. coli per 100 milliliters in early April, more than seven times the level considered safe for swimming, and Hillabee Creek had a whopping high of 4,600 E. coli per 100 milliliters in early April, almost 20 times the safe level. These levels of fecal contamination are definitely unsafe for human contact. E. coli levels have declined in the most recent tests at these two sites but are still over the safe level.  

The ultimate goal of Lake Watch is to identify the sources of fecal contamination and get them resolved. Until then, please help spread the word about Swim Alert. Send the link lakewatch.org/swim-alert to family and friends to keep your loved ones safe while recreating in the lake. Check Swim Alert regularly for updated test results for your favorite swim areas, and support Lake Watch of Lake Martin so that we can continue this effort throughout the lake.

Enjoy our beautiful Treasured Lake this summer and be safe. 

Eric Reutebuch is past-president of Lake Watch Lake Martin