Is the Tennessee river safe to swim in? Local riverkeeper weighs in

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – With concerns on the quality of the Seine River in Paris, some questions are being raised in our own backyard.

David Whiteside, the founder of Tennessee River Keeper said to avoid swimming for up to three days after it rains. The runoff into the Tennessee River can carry any bacteria the rain may touch.

Whiteside said the Tennessee River is one of the most plastic-polluted rivers in the world. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, around 60 percent of Tennessee’s rivers are not safe to swim in.

When a river runs through a major city like Paris, it leaves the river at risk of pollution. This could be an industrial waste, sewage, garbage and micro bacteria.

Whiteside said Muscle Shoals and Athens can get affected by that because the Tennessee River flows down through multiple cities.

”The Tennessee River also has industrial contaminants that can present a problem,” Whiteside said. “A lot of that is concentrated in Decatur and not so much Huntsville. So downstream from Decatur, people are really concerned about industrial pollution. In Decatur, people will actually go boating upstream toward Huntsville because they feel like the water quality is better upstream from Decatur.”

Whiteside also said that the Tennessee River is generally safe to swim in as long as you don’t swim right after a heavy rain.

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