Jennie Boyd |
Water Quality Monitoring The Estuary Partnership promotes ongoing volunteer and student water quality monitoring by providing training, technical assistance, and water quality monitoring equipment that can be checked out. Information collected by volunteers and students is used to learn more about the health of their local watershed. In addition, the Estuary Partnership coordinates an annual student and volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Event. The event generally takes place during the last two weeks in September. Through the event, the Estuary Partnership engages hundreds of students and volunteers in water quality monitoring, and helps participates better understand local stream conditions and some of the water quality parameters that influence stream health. Interested in participating in the 2007 Water Quality Monitoring Event? Contact Estuary Partnership Stewardship Programs Manager Jennie Boyd or fill out the on-line Volunteer Sign-Up Form. Training, equipment, and site selection advice is available. See below for highlights and data from past events. 2006 Water Quality Monitoring Event 2001-2005 Volunteer and Student Water Quality Monitoring Event Report (PDF) 2006 Water Quality Monitoring Event
School groups were once again a big focus during the Estuary Partnership's sixth annual Water Quality Monitoring Event. Students from 17 schools in the Estuary Partnership study area, as well as dozens of volunteers took advantage of a beautiful last two weeks in September to monitor water quality at sites along the lower Columbia River and its tributaries. REI was once again a major sponsor of the event. This year, in addition to providing equipment, REI hosted an Estuary Partnership Water Quality Monitoring Training, and REI staff and volunteers monitored a number of tributary sites. This year's event, also benefited from equipment donations from Vernier Software and Technology. Vernier makes award-winning data-collection technology for science and math educators, including a variety of water quality monitoring equipment. 2006 Water Quality Monitoring Event Data: 2005 Water Quality Monitoring Event
2005 Water Quality Monitoring Event Data: 2004 Water Quality Monitoring Event
Washington’s Department of Ecology participated in the event, as did organizations like the Columbia Land Trust and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. Over 80 different sites were monitored by 988 people during the course of the two week period. The emphasis on schools, teachers, and students that began in 2003 paid off as more schools participated in 2004, and more incorporated the event into their science curriculum. In addition, many teachers used the monitoring event as a jump start to a year long monitoring program. 2004 Water Quality Monitoring Event Data: 2003 Water Quality Monitoring Event
In part because of the Estuary Partnership’s emphasis on school groups during 2003 fewer sites were monitored than during 2002. Still, overall participation increased as 913 students and volunteers monitored water quality at 126 sites on the mainstem lower Columbia River and its tributaries. Among the schools participating were Elanor Roosevelt Elementary, Columbia River High School, Riverside Elementary, Jackson Middle School, Butler Creek Elementary, and Gresham High School. REI was a major sponsor of the 2003 Water Quality Monitoring Event, providing funds that allowed the Estuary Partnership to purchase equipment used during the monitoring event and throughout the year as the Estuary Partnership works on other volunteer monitoring projects and school programs. Washington’s water quality monitoring agency, the Department of Ecology participated for the third straight year. 2003 Water Quality Monitoring Event Data: 2002 Water Quality Monitoring Event
During two days in late September, 782 students and volunteers monitored water quality at 220 sites throughout the lower Columbia River area. They worked with scientists from a variety of state and local agencies, as well as staff from local watershed councils, the Columbia Land Trust, the Wetlands Conservancy, and the Nature Conservancy. In addition, numerous employees from local businesses REI and PG&E participated in the event. Volunteers collected data on water temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Volunteers also noted air temperature, took photos of their site, and conducted a brief site assessment. Testing stations, run by Americorps volunteers, were set up in Portland and Vancouver to allow participants easy access to monitoring equipment and a convenient place to drop off water samples for later analysis. In 2002, REI was a major sponsor of the Volunteer Monitoring Event, contributing significant funds that allowed the Estuary Partnership to purchase additional water quality testing kits, handheld GPS units, and other important supplies. 2002 Water Quality Monitoring Event Data: 2001 Water Quality Monitoring Event
The Estuary Partnership aggressively recruited participants by targeting established volunteer monitoring programs, environmental agencies, citizen groups and schools. Over a two day period in late September, a total of 518 students and volunteers monitored 242 sites along the lower Columbia River and its tributaries. Staff from the US Geoglogical Survey, Washington Department of Ecology, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services, and Clark County Public Works also participated, as did volunteers from a number of watershed councils, friends groups, the Northwest Service Academy, Sea Resources, and school groups. Estuary Partnership staff provided training and equipment to many groups. Sites were selected based on whether the site was part of a regular water quality monitoring program, volunteer’s interest in obtaining water quality data for the sites, and the site’s convenience and accessibility. In addition, testing stations were set up and stocked with DEQ equipment to allow participants to more easily pick up and drop off equipment and water quality samples. 2001 Water Quality Monitoring Event Data: For more information on volunteer monitoring on the Lower Columbia River or tributary streams in both Oregon and Washington, contact Jennie Boyd at the Estuary Partnership office.
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