More photos to come....
About 50 volunteers came out on Saturday, April 12th, between 9 and 11am, to take water samples and conduct tests at 50 sites. The information gathered in one morning within a certain time frame creates a "snapshot" of water quality and conditions throughout the entire 64 square mile watershed.
All of the sites are accessible to the public – mostly where a road crosses a stream (see map of sites with results from last year ). This snapshot will help us identify areas that need special protection or attention and even signal what kind of restoration a stream might need and compare results to the last 3 years.
No special skills or prior experience are needed. Chris Trumbauer, DNR biologist and Federation Board Member, will hosted 2 training sessions prior to the Snapshot. At the trainings, volunteers picked a pre-designated site to sample. Some folks pick the site closest to where they live and some chose a site farther away for an adventure! Volunteers learned how to take a water sample, how to use the water quality test kits, and how to assess the conditions of your site.
Q&A about the Snapshot
By Chris Trumbauer
This sounds cool, how do I sign up?
Just call South River Federation at 410-224-3802 or email us . We’ll give you all the details and answer any questions you might have.
Can I bring my kids?
Yes, in fact this is a great event for families. Children can learn where the water comes from, where it goes, and how all the streams and creeks connect to the South River.
I’m pretty busy… how long will this take?
Well, before the actual Snapshot, you’ll need to come to a training session that should be about an hour. We’ll teach you everything you need to know. On the actual day of the Snapshot, you’ll need to walk or drive to your assigned location, take some notes, perform a couple tests of the water, maybe take some pictures and then drop off your samples. This should also only take an hour or so.
I did it last year - do I still have to come to the training?
Everybody needs to come to a training session. We have some new tests and we changed a few things to make this year’s Snapshot bigger and better! Hopefully you’ll learn a few things about water quality monitoring and have some fun, too.
I live on the water, can I just sample off of my pier?
No, we have designated sites around the watershed that will represent all of the various creeks and streams that compose the South River. If you live on the water and would like to participate in water quality monitoring regularly, perhaps you’d like to sign up to be one of our Riverwatchers…
What if it rains?
Bring your raincoat! The Snapshot will be rain or shine. In fact, if it is raining, we might be able to learn a lot more about the site that you are sampling.
I don’t think water sampling is my thing, can I help another way?
Sure! You can help us recruit others to participate. We’ll also need some folks to help organize the event. After the event, we’ll have a ton of data to analyze, and maybe you can help us record and compile it all.
