Falls Park not for swimming

Published: Saturday, August 19, 2006 - 6:00 am; The Greenville News Online (Editorial-Opinion page)

Signs would warn swimmers of Reedy's pollution, but state should remember park wasn't envisioned for swimming.

It's not unusual on a hot summer day to see the pools and rapids above Reedy River Falls teeming with children who are cooling off with a dip in the water. That trend has prompted state officials to consider posting warning signs in Falls Park to alert people of the dangers of swimming in what DHEC has labeled an "impaired" waterway.

The idea has some merit. Yes, the renovation of Falls Park has made it a popular destination, and its inviting landscaping and flowing, cool waters make it an attractive swimming hole. But when Falls Park was discussed, it never was envisioned as an urban swimming hole. That said, state health officials should be careful not to sully the beauty of downtown Greenville's treasure with overbearing signs that draw attention to the unseen pollution or create the wrong impression about a river that is vastly improved from what it once was.

By all means, people who are not familiar with the Reedy's checkered past should be warned of the potential dangers of swimming in it. But those warnings should be delivered discreetly.

The dangers of swimming in the Reedy come from elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria. These bacteria get into water through animal and human feces, and can cause respiratory and gastrointestinal problems -- those with compromised immune systems are at the greatest risk of serious illness. Kathy Stecker, a community liaison with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, told Greenville News writer Paul Alongi that wading in the river is probably safe, but people who immerse their heads in the water could be taking a chance.

Friends of the Reedy River, a preservation organization, calls the river the "historically most polluted river in South Carolina." That past includes the river being used as a dumping place for unfiltered waste from Upstate industry, including textile mills. Much of that pollution is gone now, and the dangers are now more from runoff from urban development and storm sewers.

Although the Reedy looks cleaner and provides a wonderful backdrop for a beautiful park in downtown Greenville, it is not a swimming river where it flows through the city. Those who think otherwise should be warned, but the aesthetics of this recovering treasure also need to be preserved.