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| Home | Projects | Resources & Publications | About Us | Local Tributaries | |
| Stream Science | Monitoring | Watershed Action Plan | GREEN Bean | Water Pollution Facts | |
Volunteer Stream Monitoring |
| Why monitor? | |
Monitoring water chemistry and biology (macroinvertebrates) helps us to identify areas of our local streams that may be under stress from pollution. Our monitoring program also engages the local public into becoming citizen scientist that provide valuable information we can use to plan water quality improvement projects and tract our progress. |
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| What are we monitoring? | |
We monitor the following water chemistry parameters: pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, ammonia, soluble reactive phosphorus, and conductivity. We also monitor macroinvertebrate populations. |
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| Where are we monitoring? | |
| We monitor a total of 23 sites in 4 watersheds: Old Woman Creek, Pipe Creek, Sawmill Creek, and Mills Creek. We monitor at creek crossings at the roads listed below. | |
Old
Woman Creek Watershed
|
Pipe
Creek Watershed
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Sawmill
Creek Watershed
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Mills
Creek Watershed
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| How often do we monitor? | |
| We
monitor once a month from April to November for water chemistry
and once a year (in spring/early summer) for macroinvertebrate sampling. |
|
| April
18th - 19th May 16th - 17th June 20th – 21st July 18th – 19th |
August 15th –
16th September 19th – 20th October 17th – 18th November 14th – 15th |
| When did we begin? | |
| Our volunteer monitoring program began in late 2007 with only a few sites and volunteers sampling in the Old Woman Creek and Pipe Creek Watersheds. Several additional sites including 2 new watersheds (Sawmill Creek in 2009 and Mills Creek in 2011) were added in response to public requests and funding availability. | |
| Who analyzes the samples? | |
| Our monitoring program utilizes sampling methods completed out in the field by our volunteers (pH, temp, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity) and a grab sample sent back to partnering laboratories (nitrates, ammonia, soluble reactive phosphorus, and conductivity). We are grateful for the our partnering laboratories, Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve and the City of Sandusky Waste Water Treatment Plant for their assistance in this program. Final review of all collected data is completed by our Monitoring Committee which consists of scientist, teachers, and volunteers. Click on a year
below to see our data |
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| How can I get involved? | |
| We
generally train are volunteers at the beginning of the sampling season
(April). However, many of our monitors will take out new volunteers
mid season to “shadow” until the next training. If you
are interested in becoming a monitor contact Bre Hohman at the Erie
SWCD 419-626-5211. Click here for volunteer monitor job description. (pdf) |
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Financial support for this website was provided by a grant under the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act, NA07NOS4200102,
administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD