An 11-year-old is making waves after finding high bacteria levels in the LaHave River.
Stella Bowles has conducted tests in Dayspring, Upper LaHave, Bridgewater and at the LaHave River Yacht Club.
She says a score of 70 suggests water isn’t recommended for swimming. At 170, water shouldn’t touch your skin.
Some results she collected:
LaHave River Yacht Club – 145 enterococci/100ml
Upper LaHave – 110 enterococci/100ml
Dayspring – 310 enterococci/100ml
Bridgewater – Number was too high to register
She says she’s hoping to raise awareness.
“There was so many people that were swimming this summer and had no clue about the river and some people could get sick.”
She points to straight pipes as the cause for the pollution.
The grade six student at Bridgewater Elementary School says she will continue to test once a month and post results.
You can find her posts by looking for ‘LaHave River: Stella’s Science Project’ on Facebook.



