As of July l0, 2017 at 12:15 PM, the Lincoln County Health Director cancelled the "Swimming Advisory" originally issued as a preventive health measure on June 30 for the South Fork River in Lincoln County.
The advisory was issued prior to the July 4th holiday weekend because of a cattle pond spill of an estimated 200,000 gallons of animal waste into Potts Creek off Smith Road in Catawba County which feeds into the South Fork River at Reepsville Road in Lincoln County. This area has been monitored since then by the Mooresville regional offices of the NC Division of Water Resources and the Division of Environmental Quality for any possible overflow into the South Fork River.
When notified of the spill , the health d directors and local city and county officials from 3 counties worked together to notify the public to use caution and d discretion regarding boating, fishing or swimming in the river; and LCHD posted advisory signs at the public access point off Laboratory Road in Lincolnton. Lincoln public health officials assured the safety of the public drinking water supply at the Lincolnton Water Intake Plant by verifying it had sufficient reservoirs to continue operating without drawing water from the river during this time of monitoring and testing.
Initial water test results taken at the intersection of Potts Creek and the South Fork River were elevated for fecal coliform (e. coli), but this weekend the state issued a press release indicating that the latest water tests results for e. coli were below the required maximum levels, and all sampling meets the North Carolina Division of Environmental Quality standards. Therefore, the Lincoln County Health Department is cancelling its "Swimming Advisory." For further information, please contact Lincoln County Environmental Health at (704) 736-8426.