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Harbor Watch / River Watch Program
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Water Lab Grand Opening - Saturday June 13, 2009 - Read the article from the CT PostApril, 2009 - We’d like to thank our many volunteers for coming out to clean up the lower and upper areas of the Indian River in Norwalk on both April 18 and April 26. As anyone can see by these pictures, a very real and threatening contamination problem is located very close to home. Water, soil and wildlife are directly affected by this kind of pollution.
We’d especially like to thank our sponsors who generously donated to the clean up cause. RFH Company Inc. (www.rfhcompany.com) for providing the comfortable t-shirts for hard-working participants and Longshore Golf shop (www.longshoregolf.com) of Westport who provided the much needed food and beverages to our volunteers. Thank you for caring about our environment and helping our volunteers do a terrific job. Welcome our New Interns for Summer of 2009!
Nikki Cantatore
from Marist College
We’d also like to
say thank you and best of luck to our more high school interns About Harbor Watch / River Watch
In conjunction with Earthplace staff members, volunteers collect dissolved oxygen data in shallow water harbors using field equipment such as dissolved oxygen meters, conductivity meters and pH meters. This information is used to construct oxygen profiles of harbors and document hypoxic (low oxygen tensions) events which may occur during the warm summer months. These conditions are damaging to most marine life forms.
Data on nutrient concentrations, bacteria and aquatic insect populations are gathered in freshwater watershed areas. HW/RW data analysis is conducted in the Earthplace Water Quality Research Lab. This is a fully equipped research lab with fecal coliform count, nutrient analysis, and larval fish and insect identification/count capabilities. State and federally approved Quality Control / Quality Assurance (QA/QC) protocols are in place and the lab has Environmental Laboratory certification from the State of CT Department of Health. HW/RW activities not only allow Earthplace to have a role in collecting and disseminating valuable scientific data, they also support our mission by teaching participants about aquatic and marine resources and the need for wise use and conservation of these critical and fragile habitats.
Each month HW/RW compiles a water quality report on data collected
at 10 established water-sampling sites. Thanks to the
Norwalk River
Watershed Association (NRWA), these reports are available at
www.norwalkriver.org/waterreadings.htm. The reports contain
information on indicator bacteria levels, dissolved oxygen
conditions, and conductivity. The headwaters of the Norwalk River Watershed
are in Ridgefield and its terminus is the Norwalk Harbor.
Internships
Each year Earthplace offers water quality internship
positions to area high school and college students.
Contact us for more information at
info@earthplace.org.
View a Movie about Harbor Watch/River Watch
Norwalk oysterman
opens water quality testing lab, CT Post, June 13, 2009 High Water
Marks: Dick Harris, Norwalk River Watershed Association, Inc.,
Fall/Winter 2007/2008 (Word document)
Earthplace: Norwalk River swimming in
E. coli
bacteria,
The
Advocate,
December 4, 2007 Resources - Information and organizations related to local watersheds and water quality
Nonpoint Source Pollution
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