SWIM GUIDE: Sound Rivers says all test sites pass ahead of Memorial Day weekend

WASHINGTON, N.C. (WITN) - An environmental group says tests show all sites on the lower Neuse River and on the Tar-Pamlico River are safe to swim in this Memorial Day weekend.

Sound Rivers released its latest Swim Guide Friday afternoon.

The group said while all of the sites it tested meet state and federal recreational water-quality standards, heavy rains predicted this weekend could quickly change that.

“Keep in mind that any time we have a heavy rain, once that rain hits the ground, it’s picking up pollution and running into the closest waterway,” said Clay Barber, Sound Rivers’ program director. “This weekend, we’re going to have a lot of rain, so you need to take caution even if our results from Friday say it’s safe to swim at a particular site.”

Each week the organization tests 17 sites in the Lower Neuse River basin and 23 locations in the Tar-Pamlico River basin.