Water Quality Monitoring

Our 2009 Water Quality Monitoring Campaign consisted of 15 sites which were monitored monthly from March until November, using the TROLL 9500 water quality monitoring device provided by The Last Green Valley. Data we collect includes dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity, and conductivity. Lamotte SMART 2 colorimeters were used to measure Nitrate and Phosphate. At some sites, we recorded water levels on staff gauges calibrated by Nichols College to measure flow. We deployed two temperature data loggers in the main stem and found tempaeratures exceeding state scriteria at one of them.

We applied lessons learned from our previous campaigns and included them in our 2009-2010 Quality Assurance Program Plan approved by MASS DEP

OBJECTIVES:

The French River suffered from more than a century of degradation from industrial activity along its banks, and its waters are listed as impaired by the Department of Environmental Protection, but life has returned to much of the river, with healthy plant growth, fish populations, and an abundance of wildlife in the river corridor. The objectives of our monitoring program are :

To demonstrate to the public that the river is worthy of protection and enjoyment.

Locate pollution sources and report our findings to local and state officials for appropriate action.

Gather data to use when commenting to local officials on decisions before them affecting the river.

Assist Nichols College in gathering flow data

By maintaining a monitoring program over many years, document trends in the health of the river.

Engage community members in the monitoring program to interest them in the river as a community resource

Above, a three-person team including two Shepherd Hill students collects data near Clara Barton Road. In addition to the chemical data, volunteers note ambient and recent weather conditions, water appearance and odor, plant and animal life, and water level or flow.

This graph shows dissolved oxygen at each of our five French River stations. We now have a similar graph for each parameter for each of the last three seasons, so we can compare data throughout the season, and throughout the river corridor, and across seasons under different flow conditions

In November 2009, MASS DEP published a French and Quinebaug River Watersheds 2004-2008Water Quality Assessment Report.

This report refers often to our findings reported in previous years, and lists recommendations based on them. This is a tribute to the dedication of the more than 30 volunteers who have spent a Saturday morning on the river over the past four years.