Little Falls High School's River Watch Program has been monitoring the Swan River for several years. The data they've collected indicates a presence of fecal coliform bacteria in the river. This type of bacteria is found in human and animal wastes. High fecal coliform counts mean the water is not fit for human contact. Water that has become contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria can transmit a variety of infectious diseases, including dysentery, salmonellosis and hepatitis.
Symptoms vary, but nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, with or without fever, are most common.
It flows through western Morrison County where it empties into the Mississippi River, just south of Little Falls. Along this journey, the river flows through Little Swan Lake and the towns of Swanville and Sobieski. This area makes up the Swan River Watershed and covers approximately 182 square miles. A watershed is the area of land that drains into a particular river or lake. A TMDL study must be conducted for each pollutant that causes a water body to exceed these standards.