A New Field Season Starts and Bacteria Results are in!

PRWC's first round of stream sampling for the 2021 Ambient Water Quality Program is completed and results are in! This year, PRWC has adopted new protocols for sampling and added additional sampling sites. As seen in the photo on the left, a volunteer is using the new "pole method" for gathering samples at a site along the Pomperaug River. This method is used by attaching the sample bottle to the end of the pole to ensure that there is no contamination in the acquired sample. The pole is particularly useful in cases of inaccessible stream and river locations that require sampling from the top of a bridge or in deep water.

Last year, PRWC began sharing results of our Ambient Water Quality Program on an interactive map as seen in the image below of the 2021 season's first sample results. The results can be viewed on the map with red-light, green-light indicators and will be updated twice monthly through October. Throughout the season, bacteria levels will fluctuate over time and even on a daily basis. This can occur from precipitation and runoff that may wash potential bacteria into the water causing spikes resulting in a red dot marked on the map.

PRWC is excited to welcome this year's Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew that will be conducting much of the season's monitoring through the summer. While the YCC will be hard at work, volunteers are needed to assist, especially in August, September, and October. If you are interested in PRWC's work and would like to join in, choose a date and sign up on the events page.