Water Safety - E coli
According to the EPA, E. coli (Escherichia coli ) are bacteria that live in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. E. coli is part of the fecal coliform group associated with human or animal wastes. E. coli is considered an indicator organism, used to identify fecal contamination in freshwater and indicate the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Some examples of possible illnesses include gastroenteritis, Urinary tract infections and meningitis.
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While some juristictions in the United States regularly monitor swimming areas for water safety, this service is not provided in rural East Tennessee. Consequently, WATeR has engaged in some spot testing to provide the community with some confidence in the safety of the water in Tellico Reservoir.
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In 2016, samples were collected monthly for seven months at three locations in each of three embayments – Baker Creek Embayment (Foothills Pointe), Bat Creek Embayment (Rarity Bay), and Fork Creek Embayment (Tellico Village). Additional sampling was then conducted in 2017 to further define the duration and extent of possible E. coli contamination of an embayment following a heavy upstream rain event. This 2017 event involved WATeR collecting samples at five sites for five consecutive days in the Fork Creek Embayment immediately after a heavy thunderstorm.
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More recently we have tested various public access areas and swim beaches .
Spot Testing Results: 2024
This chart shows where WATeR has tested for E. Coli this past year. Testing is performed during dry weather, and then after a heavy rain event when runoff would occur that would wash contaminants into the water. In these tests, there were no areas that cause concern.
Swim Beach Results: 2023
This chart shows the results of testing of the swim beaches on the reservoir. In a couple of cases, the result after a rain event exceeded the state recommended limit of 487 cfu/100ml. At these locations, caution is advised, particularly in the 48 hour period after a heavy rain.
Swim Safety in the Creek Embayments
While water quality samples periodically collected in Tellico Lake have consistently revealed exceptionally low concentrations of E. coli bacteria, samples from tributary creeks flowing through rural agricultural areas have revealed levels of E. coli well in excess of the limit specified for recreational use. Much of these areas are used for grazing, and cattle often have access to the streams.
Extensive effort and resources have and are being devoted to assisting farmers to improve the water quality of these streams, but this is a slow process. Three creeks that are classified with elevated levels of E. coli discharge into embayments of Tellico Lake in the vicinity of large communities. These embayments are popular recreational areas for swimming and boating. WATeR recognized that no data were available to evaluate bacteria levels in these transition zones from polluted to clean water. To provide residents and boaters with guidance regarding water contact in these embayments, WATeR designed a plan to sample for bacteria for a variety of conditions throughout the recreational boating season.
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In 2016, samples were collected monthly for seven months at three locations in each of three embayments – Baker Creek Embayment (Foothills Pointe), Bat Creek Embayment (Rarity Bay), and Fork Creek Embayment (Tellico Village). To define the duration and extent of possible E. coli contamination of an embayment following a heavy upstream rain event, WATeR collected samples at three sites for five consecutive days in the Fork Creek Embayment immediately after a heavy thunderstorm in 2017.
The sample locations in the Fork Creek Embayment are illustrated above: These data show that for most days in the swimming/boating season, bacteria levels were low in all three embayments. However, following a heavy rain event, people should be cautious in contact with water in the shallow end of an embayment where creeks enter the lake. Additional information on WATeR’s sampling of the bacteria of these embayments can be found in the report on this website entitled ​Water Quality Investigation of Three Embayments of Tellico Reservoir, March 2017, Addendum April 2018.