MOLINE, Illinois — It's no secret that the Mississippi River has its enthusiasts and its detractors. The eye can only see about one foot deep before getting lost in the murky brown water.
"Oh that doesn't bother me, I grew up swimming in ponds and everything, so not a problem," said Whitney Edwards, who has lived in Davenport for about a year.
While Edwards doesn't think twice about the idea of recreation activities like water skiing and jet skiing on the water, some people are more hesitant.
"Well, it's not something I would drink, nor would I probably fish in it anymore and eat the fish," said Val Morris, who has lived in the quad city area for her whole life.
The Iowa DNR's Fish Consumption Advisories list doesn't have any restrictions on the number of fish people can eat from the Mississippi. All of the fish advisories for Iowa's impaired rivers are because of mercury levels in the water.
There are always unknown hazards in the Mississippi river due to bacteria levels according to Stuart Schmitz, a toxicologist at the Iowa Department of Public Health. He said the bacteria levels are generally higher in a lake.
"The immediate danger I would say is the current," said Mike Kean, Park Ranger for the Army Corps of Engineers. He said the Mississippi is safe to swim and fish in, as long as people are safe about it. Showering after swimming in the river and wearing a life vest are recommended.
"It's safe. In every river you're going to have a little bit of pollution and the Mississippi is no different," said Kean.
He said people should keep their mouth shut to make sure they don't swallow the water. If the water is accidentally swallowed, it could give people flu-like symptoms. It just depends on the person's immune system and their exposure to the water according to Kean.
The Mississippi acts as a catch all for run off and tributaries.
"We have a lot of industry from around here too and a lot of them do a really good job of treating and then you have things like birds, geese, and fish and all the animals and gotta go somewhere," said Kean.
Kean says it's more important people worry about the river's power than its brown color.
"I'd be more concerned with the current than the water quality if it was me," said Kean.
He said the nice weather brings a lot of people out to enjoy the river, and while it's great to enjoy the Mississippi, people should be cautious of the current and the water quality.
"That's when everybody is out and that's when, if something's going to go wrong, it will happen then cause everyone is out and everyone let's their guard down a little," said Kean.