Stream Team Monitors Long-Term Health of Great Swamp Waterways

Since 1998, the Great Swamp Watershed Association Stream Team has helped the Ten Towns Great Swamp Watershed Management Committee monitor the five streams of the Great Swamp region. The team of twelve intrepid volunteers collects water samples at "base stations" and sends these samples to a lab for data analysis of water flow, nutrients, and sediment flow. Now, thanks to new water quality standards developed by the Ten Towns Committee, the team's work won't be over when the waders come off.

"While monitoring water quality and quantity, as well as maintaining the monitoring equipment, remains a central part of what the volunteers do, our members have also become more involved in interpreting the water quality monitoring results we receive back from the lab," says Karen Patterson, Watershed Association Project Director and Stream Team coordinator.

In June of 2002, the Ten Towns Committee released water quality standards for each of the five tributaries. The standards provide target levels -- "references" in the Stream Team vernacular -- for phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment in the water. Because levels of point and non-point source pollution vary across the five streams, each stream has its own set of references.

"The health of the five streams in the watershed varies widely (e.g., two have sewage treatment plants that discharge effluent to them), so it's important to recognize that they probably will never all reach the same level of quality as the more pristine streams," Patterson says.

"Stream Team members have been working to come up with an effective way to interpret the [reference] data collected to date and communicate that information effectively to Watershed Association members, appointed and elected officials, and the public. We have begun to develop graphs that will show how each stream is doing over time, and in comparison to the references for each stream."

Since the new standards were set in place, the Watershed Association has also worked to revamp the "Water Quality" section of the Watershed Association website. It now includes sub-watershed maps and narrative descriptions of each stream.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association was founded in 1981 to protect the environmental, cultural, and historical resources of the Great Swamp watershed region. Its dedicated volunteers play a crucial role in helping to fulfill this mission. For information on how to become a member, activities, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.greatswamp.org. 

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