{"id":2204,"date":"2026-06-27T10:37:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2204"},"modified":"2026-06-27T10:37:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:37:39","slug":"swimming-in-columbia-waters-riskier-after-heavy-rains-as-germs-up-chance-of-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2204","title":{"rendered":"Swimming in Columbia waters riskier after heavy rains as germs up chance of illness"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Nine of 11 testing spots on Columbia\u2019s major rivers recently showed bacteria levels high enough to trigger swimming advisories after heavy rainfall. Health officials warn that swimming after storms poses illness risks at rivers, lakes and beaches across South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2202\">3 SC beach towns named best places to retire by water, Southern Living says. Here\u2019s where &amp; why<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><b>FULL STORY:<\/b> <u>Disease-carrying germs soar at beaches, popular swimming holes after heavy rains<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2200\">He died fighting for America\u2019s independence at 14. He\u2019s only just been identified<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Here are key takeaways:<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler said stormwater rushing into rivers like the Congaree, Broad and Saluda raises bacteria counts and can indicate germs that make swimmers sick. He urged people to avoid swimming after rain or when advisories are posted, noting muddy water can signal a problem.<\/li>\n<li>The Saluda River just above Riverbanks Zoo, one of the most popular local swimming spots, tested at more than twice the safe bacteria standard on June 18, according to the riverkeeper\u2019s results posted at howsmyscriver.<\/li>\n<li>Charleston Waterkeeper spokesperson Cheryl Carmack-Smith said some sampling areas, such as Shem Creek, have high bacteria levels half the time even in dry weather, with septic tanks believed to be the cause. \u201cWhen we have dry periods and then we get heavy rain, it\u2019s really bad,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n<li>State officials recommend waiting at least 48 hours after heavy rain before swimming in natural waters. Swallowing contaminated water can cause upset stomachs or fever, and open cuts can become infected.<\/li>\n<li>The S.C. Department of Environmental Services tests ocean water at 122 beach monitoring stations from North Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head Island. Grand Strand communities have spent decades replacing beach drainage pipes with longer pipes that discharge stormwater beyond the breakers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2198\">USC\u2019s proposed civil rights center has a powerful location \u2014 here\u2019s why it matters<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heavy rains can make it more likely swimmers in rivers, lakes and the ocean across South Carolina will get sick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Swimming in Columbia waters riskier after heavy rains as germs up chance of illness - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2204\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swimming in Columbia waters riskier after heavy rains as germs up chance of illness - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Heavy rains can make it more likely swimmers in rivers, lakes and the ocean across South Carolina will get sick.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2204\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-27T10:37:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"headline\":\"Swimming in Columbia waters riskier after heavy rains as germs up chance of illness\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T10:37:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204\"},\"wordCount\":357,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/9e5683a70bae9f46aab28e25d8e115d8.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204\",\"name\":\"Swimming in Columbia waters riskier after heavy rains as germs up chance of illness - US Moving Experts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/9e5683a70bae9f46aab28e25d8e115d8.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T10:37:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2204#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/9e5683a70bae9f46aab28e25d8e115d8.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/9e5683a70bae9f46aab28e25d8e115d8.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Storm drain pipes line the Grand Strand beaches in South Carolina. In some cases they drain into tidal inlets that flow onto the beaches. This inlet, Withers Swash, contains some of the highest concentrations of bacteria on the Grand Strand. It empties onto the beach near 3rd Ave. South in Myrtle Beach. Beachgoers sometimes must wade up to their waist in bacteria-laced water to cross the inlet to the beach. A sign on each side of Withers Swash warns of elevated bacteria levels from storm water. 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