Dear Members of the Luray Town Council,
Friends of the Shenandoah River (FOSR) is the only nonprofit organization that regularly and rigorously tests the South Fork of the Shenandoah River for E. coli bacteria, an indicator of the potential presence of harmful pathogens.
Routinely, for seven years, we begin weekly testing in late May and continue until mid-September. This is a valuable public service, and although FOSR does not charge for it, our resources are limited. A group of Page County volunteers called “Community Works” partnered with us last spring, to promote our program and help raise funds so we not only could continue testing, but hopefully, could even increase the number of sites we test along the County’s 55 miles of riverfront.
A great many local citizens contributed to FOSR’s testing program, and fortunately, that enabled us to expand our testing program to additional riverfront sites in Page County. We also approached the Luray Town Council and [Page County] Board of Supervisors for support. So far, the Town Council has stepped up with a generous $2,500 contribution. With that, FOSR was also able to begin testing at a site located on Hawksbill Creek.
Throughout the summer and (because of renewed public interest) including early October, FOSR has posted the E. coli test results for all sites in Page County on our Facebook page, Instagram page, and website, https://fosr.org/
Friends of the Shenandoah River greatly thanks the Luray Town Council for its tremendous support of this program. It’s fantastic to have our elected officials understand the need for reliable public health information, and having them show their support for the South Fork of the Shenandoah and its tributaries is very gratifying to all of us.
George L. Ohrstrom II ~ President, Friends of the Shenandoah River
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High levels of e-coli in a body of water are dangerous and a serious threat to public health. The 26 people hospitalized last May at Lake Anna had been infected with the Shiga toxin producing e-coli bacteria from cow feces. When e-coli is present there is also listeria, chyrptosperidium, Salmonella and other dangerous pathogens. The Hawksbill is not suitable for recreational activities until testing shows these numbers are greatly reduced, to reduce the risks of infection, especially for children. The Greenway is a fabulous feature for our town. We owe it to our town and everyone who who enjoys the Greenway by cleaning up the Hawksbill!!