Water Quality Results
News
The 2025 Swim Smart Monitoring season will start on Wednesday, June 11!
WRP staff and trained volunteers will monitor 16 swimming holes every other Wednesday on the following dates this summer:
- June 11 & 25
- July 9 & 23
- August 6 & 20
Results will be available the Thursday afternoon following each test date – see the latest results below and on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
To learn more about our Swim Smart Monitoring program, follow this link.
Why monitor bacteria?
We monitor bacteria to determine whether the White River is safe for swimming. In short, fewer bacteria = cleaner water.
Vermont has adopted a water quality standard to inform safe, recreational use:
- # of bacteria in 100mL less than 235 colonies = SWIMMABLE
- # of bacteria in 100mL more than 235 colonies = NOT SWIMMABLE
Bacteria numbers usually increase after it rains. We recommend that you avoid swimming or tubing in the White River during and immediately after a rain event because there is an increased risk of exposure to pollutants that can make you sick.
September 4th Bacteria Data
Weather past 24 hours: Sunny
Water level in the White River: West Hartford Bridge gauge reading at 9am = 252 Cubic Feet/Second (CFS); long-term mean for this date = 360 CFS
Number of sites exceeding the “swimmable” standard = 2 of 18 sites (marked with an asterisk (*) below)
Lower White River
Old River Road Ledges-Hartford – 3.0
West Hartford bridge – 2.0
The Ledges Access (formerly The Sharon Academy) – 69.1
Pinch Rock-Royalton – 71.2
Upper White River
Peavine Park-Bethel – 11.0
Silver Lake-Barnard – 261.3*
Gaysville Bridge – 15.6
Mouth of Tweed-Stockbridge – No Data
Peavine Park-Stockbridge – 98.3
Lion’s Club Park-Rochester – No Data
Taylor Meadow Road-Hancock – No Data
First Branch sites
Mouth of First Branch-Royalton – 62.0
Tunbridge Fairgrounds – 51.2
Tunbridge Town Pool Tributary – 9.8
Chelsea Rec Park – 30.5
Second Branch sites
Mouth of Second Branch-Royalton – No Data
Dugout Road-Randolph – 579.4*
Sunset Lake-Brookfield – 11.0
Third Branch Sites
Mouth of Third Branch-Bethel – 14.6
Stock Farm Road-Bethel – 81.3
Randolph Rec Park – 50.4
Riford Brook Road-Braintree – 27.9
What do the monitoring results mean?
Please be aware that we test water quality once every two weeks, not daily. This means that our water quality results do not reflect current conditions.
Instead the water quality data we gather helps us understand trends at each site. Based on data gathered since 2001, we recommend that you avoid swimming or tubing in the White River during and immediately after a rain event because there is an increased risk of exposure to pollutants that can make you sick.
For more information
To learn more about Swim Smart Monitoring in the White River, check out our Program page.
Water Quality Results
News
The 2025 Swim Smart Monitoring season will start on Wednesday, June 11!
WRP staff and trained volunteers will monitor 16 swimming holes every other Wednesday on the following dates this summer:
Results will be available the Thursday afternoon following each test date – see the latest results below and on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
To learn more about our Swim Smart Monitoring program, follow this link.
Why monitor bacteria?
We monitor bacteria to determine whether the White River is safe for swimming. In short, fewer bacteria = cleaner water.
Vermont has adopted a water quality standard to inform safe, recreational use:
Bacteria numbers usually increase after it rains. We recommend that you avoid swimming or tubing in the White River during and immediately after a rain event because there is an increased risk of exposure to pollutants that can make you sick.
September 4th Bacteria Data
Weather past 24 hours: Sunny
Water level in the White River: West Hartford Bridge gauge reading at 9am = 252 Cubic Feet/Second (CFS); long-term mean for this date = 360 CFS
Number of sites exceeding the “swimmable” standard = 2 of 18 sites (marked with an asterisk (*) below)
Lower White River
Old River Road Ledges-Hartford – 3.0
West Hartford bridge – 2.0
The Ledges Access (formerly The Sharon Academy) – 69.1
Pinch Rock-Royalton – 71.2
Upper White River
Peavine Park-Bethel – 11.0
Silver Lake-Barnard – 261.3*
Gaysville Bridge – 15.6
Mouth of Tweed-Stockbridge – No Data
Peavine Park-Stockbridge – 98.3
Lion’s Club Park-Rochester – No Data
Taylor Meadow Road-Hancock – No Data
First Branch sites
Mouth of First Branch-Royalton – 62.0
Tunbridge Fairgrounds – 51.2
Tunbridge Town Pool Tributary – 9.8
Chelsea Rec Park – 30.5
Second Branch sites
Mouth of Second Branch-Royalton – No Data
Dugout Road-Randolph – 579.4*
Sunset Lake-Brookfield – 11.0
Third Branch Sites
Mouth of Third Branch-Bethel – 14.6
Stock Farm Road-Bethel – 81.3
Randolph Rec Park – 50.4
Riford Brook Road-Braintree – 27.9
What do the monitoring results mean?
Please be aware that we test water quality once every two weeks, not daily. This means that our water quality results do not reflect current conditions.
Instead the water quality data we gather helps us understand trends at each site. Based on data gathered since 2001, we recommend that you avoid swimming or tubing in the White River during and immediately after a rain event because there is an increased risk of exposure to pollutants that can make you sick.
For more information
To learn more about Swim Smart Monitoring in the White River, check out our Program page.