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Coosa Riverkeepers outlines swim‑guide monitoring and seeks possible county support; program cost about $100,000 annually
Summary
Richard Brivka of Coosa Riverkeepers described the group's swim‑guide water‑quality monitoring, education programs and fish‑consumption outreach, said the swim‑guide costs about $100,000 a year, and discussed potential county agreements while cautioning about duplicating taxpayer‑funded programs and legal constraints on funding nonprofits.
Richard Brivka, representing Coosa Riverkeepers, told the St. Clair County Commission work session that his organization runs a swim guide and a range of river monitoring, education and outreach programs and asked commissioners to consider how the county might support that work.
Brivka said Coosa Riverkeepers has about 300 responses so far to an economic‑impact survey conducted with Auburn and hopes to reach roughly 700 responses to quantify river‑related economic activity. He described the swim guide as an annual public‑health tool that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, uses eight interns who collect and process samples, and monitors roughly 50 sites each week. "It costs us about a hundred thousand dollars to put this through every year," Brivka said.
Brivka explained the swim guide reports E. coli levels at monitored sites using a green/amber/red system: green indicates acceptable levels, amber suggests caution for people with open wounds, and red advises against entering the water. He also described related programs: fish‑consumption advisory outreach (based on Department of Public Health tissue sampling), river patrol for pollution and erosion complaints, angler advocacy events and an education program for children called CREEK (Coosa River Environmental Education for Kids). He said the organization operates a lab in Mount Laurel and works with partners including Auburn, Logan Martin Lake Protective Association and Bass Pro Shops.
On funding, Brivka said donations and some grants cover most operations; he described regular donors and sponsorship options for the swim guide starting at $250 for a site or $2,500 for a whole lake. He told commissioners that Shelby County is negotiating a yearly agreement to sponsor the group's county‑specific work and that any county agreement would likely be structured as a contract for services.
Commissioners and staff cautioned about legal and administrative limits on funding private 501(c)(3) organizations and the risk of duplicating existing taxpayer‑funded monitoring. Brivka acknowledged those concerns and said the organization is open to structured agreements that provide transparency and avoid duplicating state or federally funded work. He offered to return with more specifics and said the group can assist with signage, public education and sampling that the county does not currently provide.
Next steps: commissioners expressed interest in learning more; staff noted legal review and contract language would be needed before the county could provide financial support or enter an agreement.
