Choctawhatchee River at Hutto Park, Newton. Alabama is sampled from May 1st from September 30th.

The State of Alabama does not regularly monitor any inland swimming areas/beaches. The monitoring is done by Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper at sites where there is significant recreational use. Monitoring is done using methods (protocols) developed by the Alabama Water Watch program that have been approved for first-alert monitoring by Region 4 of the U.S. EPA.

Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper will monitor these sites for E. coli from May to September. If resources allow these sites will at a minimum be monitored once prior to each major summer holiday. If additional resources are available these 5 will be monitored five times a month in May, June, July, August, September to check for contamination. All data will be reported to the media. Sites that fail to meet water quality standards will be reported to county health departments, the local watershed management authority, posted to the blog on the Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper website and reported directly to members of Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper, the Wiregrass Canoe and Kayak Club and members of the SE Alabama Chapter of the Alabama Scenic River Trail.Sites that fail to meet water quality standards will be tested approximately once a week until they meet water quality standards. If they continue to fail to meet water quality standards, efforts will be made to post the sites as failing or have them posted. Sites that meet water quality standards in the early testing period will be tested prior to each major summer holiday. If at any point they fail to meet water quality standards, they will be tested as above.According to ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTWATER DIVISION – WATER QUALITY PROGRAM, for incidental water contact and whole body water-contact recreation, the bacterial quality of water is acceptable when a sanitary survey by the controlling health authorities reveals no source of dangerous pollution and when the geometric mean E. coli organism density does not exceed 126 colonies/100 ml nor exceed a maximum of 235 colonies/100 mL in any single sample in non-coastal waters.Our sites are GREEN when E. coli do not exceed a maximum of 235 colonies/100 ml in any single sample. Our sites are normally YELLOW when the E. coli in a single sample is between 235 and 600 E. coli colonies per 100 mL in a single sample. When the E. coli in a single sample is over 235 colonies per 100 mL AND there are reasons that increases the concern about this site it may be set at RED!Our sites are RED when the E. coli in a single sample exceeds a 600 colonies/100 mL in any single sample unless the sample is an outlier - for example it was taken in a first flush event or shortly after a significant runoff event.