Inland Empire Waterkeeper is proud to share the results of our first-ever Waterkeeper Water Monitoring Program. Our goal is simple: to give Inland Empire communities reliable water quality information so families can make informed choices about where to swim, wade, and play.
From January to June 2025, we monitored water quality at three popular recreation sites at Lytle Creek, the Santa Ana River in Riverside, and the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) generously provided guidance on standardized methods and testing supplies for this project.
We focused on two key indicators of water quality: Escherichia coli (E. coli)and Enterococci. These bacteria are widely considered the two best indicators for freshwater health.
Key Findings:
All three sites met state standards for E. coli at least 60% of the time.
Both Santa Ana River sites exceeded Enterococci state standards 100% of the time.
So what does this mean? Our research team was surprised to find that the Santa Ana River isn’t as polluted as many people think. E. coli, the primary indicator of freshwater quality, showed encouraging results. Although our Enterococci samples consistently exceeded safe levels, we suspect that poor testing conditions may have skewed those results.
These results underscore both the progress and the challenges of keeping Inland Empire waterways safe for recreation. Dive into the full report below.