One solution for the heat? Take to the water! RHHD’s teams are promoting health by land and by…well, river, in our case.
The Environmental Health team inspects marinas and pools to make sure that the water we want to jump into all summer long is as safe as possible. Environmental Technical Specialist Jay LeReche has been conducting marina inspections for more than ten years at locations including Rocketts Landing, Richmond Yacht Basin, and Kingsland Marina.
As someone who spends a lot of time on the James himself, Jay says that clean waterways boost tourism and keep residents active and connected to nature. We all have a part to play in keeping the James—and other water sources—safe:
- I boat! Jay says each of Richmond and Henrico’s marinas have carefully inspected pump-out facilities that help boat owners dispose of sewage safely. You can also take steps to reduce waste that occurs during refueling or cleaning your boat—let’s keep paint chips and oils out of our river!
- I fish! Did you know that the Department of Wildlife Resources has special recycling stations for getting rid of old fishing lines? Keep an eye out for these instead of throwing old line into the trash, which can impact wildlife and swimmers.
- I prefer the pool! RHHD primarily inspects hotel pools, but Jay says anyone managing a pool can practice water safety by testing the water quality daily for pH levels and chlorine.
Whatever your preferred method of spending time near the water, you can benefit from more water safety tips at Healthy Swimming RVA.