Check out this article, “Man kayaks to draw awareness to river quality” by Kristen Mosbrucker, January 17, 2015.
We need to read more stories like these and understand our natural waterways better and look for ways to save our natural resources and ultimately improve their quality of life.
Colin McDonald looks at the history and current culture surrounding this magnificent waterway. Colin records measurements and makes note of the Rio Grande’s movements over the years. It is a fascinating story. One of the findings from his adventure have been the levels of e.Coli found in the water.
One of the biggest spikes in the E. coli count came while cruising in the Valley — peaking near the Anzalduas Dam. There was another spike just south of Reynosa.
“That means you don’t want to swim in it and it you drank the water you might get sick,” he said of the level, which measures nearly 100 times above the recreational guideline by the Environmental Protection Agency. “There are stretches of the river that are polluted and there are stretches of the river that does a good job of cleaning itself up.”
But the vast majority of McDonald’s paddling days yielded low bacteria levels, he said.
For a complete breakdown of the trip, check out the daily chronicled story in the Texas Tribune. Also, check out some more video footage from his expedition.