Northumberland County, VA
Water Quality Monitoring
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Water Quality Monitoring
In June 2006 five members of the Dividing Creek Association Rea Hinch, Ran Marshall, Mike Egerer, Pat Hammick and Skip Kramb decided to investigate the quality of our local waters.
DIVIDING CREEK
The initial five members canvassed association members in an attempt to determine if any additional members might be interested in the quality of the waters of Dividing, Prentice and Jarvis Creeks.
PRENTICE CREEK
As a result of this query it was found that 22 association members were indeed interested in our water quality. In July 2006 the Dividing Creek Association, Water Quality Monitoring Group came into being.
JARVIS CREEK/KENT COVE
WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES With the help of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ), the initial group of five members begin monitoring our local creeks by participating in the World Water Day Project using four LaMotte, World Water Monitoring Day Test Kits, provided by VA DEQ to determine the quality of our waters.
Four of the members participated in the WWMD Activities by taking water samples from a total of 29 locations on Dividing, Prentice and Jarvis Creeks. Tests for Dissolved Oxygen, pH (acidity), Turbidity (Water Clarity) and Water Temperature on the three creeks were taken a total of four times over the 30 day program period of September 18, 2006 through October 18, 2006. The fifth member of our initial group, Pat Hammick processed our sampling results and entered them on the World Water Monitoring Data Base. This data base has been used by a multitude of environmental organizations in assessing and comparing water quality around the world. The sampling results were forwarded to VADEQ as well for analysis and evaluation. With the experience gained taking these samples and the positive results of these initial tests the association hoped to advise and help additional monitors do further testing in 2007.
Prentice Creek
Skip Kramb Ran Marshall
WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES The year 2007 was primarily a planning year. While some actual
monitoring
WATER QUALITY MONITORING ACTIVITIES In late January, 2008 the association received word from VA DEQ and The Alliance for Chesapeake Bay that some surplus test kits and chemicals might be available. Thanks to the generosity of VA DEQ and the Alliance for Chesapeake Bay the Dividing Creek Association's Water Quality Monitoring Group now has four complete testing kits valued at approximately $400.00 each. With these four kits we have been able to established four teams of two to four members each. In addition to the kits we have been provided with the monitoring chemicals and materials to hopefully enable us to monitor at least until mid July, 2008. You mat observe the Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers out on the waters of Dividing, Prentice and Jarvis Creeks twice a month beginning April 14th.
VA DEQ AND ALLIANCE FOR CHESAPEAKE BAY On March 28, 2008 VA DEQ Liaison Director James Beckley, and Alliance for Chesapeake Bay Program Coordinator Laurel Woodworth, with help from Fay Andrashko from the Northern Neck Soil and Water Conservation District conducted our first training session.
James Beckley, pH Sample Reading
Thirteen association members are now trained and qualified to take and process water samples for E.coli bacteria (coli form), pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity (Water Clarity), Salinity and Temperature. Thanks to the generosity of VA DEQ and the Alliance for Chesapeake Bay the Dividing Creek Association's Water Quality Monitoring Group now has the testing equipment to monitor for Fiscal Year 2008. In addition we were provided the monitoring chemicals and materials to hopefully be able to monitor until mid July.
James Beckley Dissolved Oxygen Sample
James Beckley, VA DEQ Calibrating the Refractometer
On April 9, 2008 the Dividing Creek Association, Water Quality Monitoring Group conducted their first formal organizational meeting. Four Teams of five monitors each were created and team leaders were selected. Each team was assigned a monitoring area with specific monitoring sites assigned. The sites will be monitored every two weeks throughout the monitoring season and only on the outgoing tide. Monitoring was begun the
week of April 14, 2008 and hopefully will be able to continue on a twice
monthly schedule until the end of
the monitoring season in early December. The sample results of the
association's monitoring are being inputted to the VA DEQ Data Base for study
by VA DEQ, EPA and other agencies to evaluate the quality of our waters and
make recommendations on what can be done to correct any problem areas that
might be found.
These forms of bacterial contamination in sufficient quantities would indicate a probable health problem in your creek water. In this case these e.coli colonies are likely caused by wildlife (ducks, geese, heron, osprey, deer, raccoon, muskrat and pets) in the area.
COMMON COLIFORM SAMPLE
ACTUAL SAMPLE In our first monitoring test at 14 locations on our
creeks no serious problems of any kind were noted. Overall the three creeks
we monitor Dividing, Prentice and Jarvis Creeks appear to be relatively
clean. We are having an interesting year as we compare the cooler
early spring waters with the hot mid-summer conditions and now as the water
cools. We have seen the E.coli cont increase as the water warmed and now
with the water cooling the E. coli has shown a marked decrease. Likewise the
Dissolved Oxygen content decreased as the water warmed and the Water
Temperature increased raising the Algae Count and Turbidity. It was observed
that the decreased Blue Crab population directly followed the decrease in
the Dissolved Oxygen Count of our waters. The fish population also followed
this phenomenon but to a lesser degree. With the water now cooling we have
observed the E. coli Count decrease, the Dissolved Oxygen Count increase and
the Turbidity decrease as the suspended algae in the water dies off. If you see one of our monitoring teams on the water and are interested in what they are doing you are invited to stop by and observe. We will continue to monitor thru Mid December weather permitting. We plan to resume or monitoring activities in Early April. With the completion of the 2008 Water Monitoring Season we have established a Baseline that will be available for use by Water Monitoring Groups, (US EPA, VA DEQ, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Alliance for Chesapeake Bay, DCA Water Quality Monitoring Group) on these waters for years to come. Our monitoring plans for 2009 include the upgrading of our monitoring procedures from the Chemical/Visual Comparison Methods of determining water quality to new more accurate Digital Monitoring Meters. These meters will speed up our monitoring times, enable use to monitor more areas, give us more accurate data, and in the long run reduce our monitoring costs.
The Water Monitoring Group is planning to field additional monitoring teams and monitoring additional areas for 2009. There will be a VA DEQ training course in February our March of next year. This course will certify anyone who successfully completes this course as a Certified VA Water Monitor. If you are interested in what is in your water or your neighbors water and wish to do some monitoring yourself as part of one of our teams please call either of the Water Quality Monitoring Chairmen. Rea Hinch at 804-435-7484 or Skip Kramb at 804-435-0697.
To view our Dividing Creek Association, Water Quality Monitoring Group data for 2008 it is located on the Official Virginia Departnent of Environmental Quality Web Site. To view the DCA Data follow the instructions below. www.deq.virginia.gov/easi/mdpro/public_html You can find our data by clicking on ‘Group Filter’ feature and selecting Dividing Creek Association then click on the ‘GO’ button at the Bottom of the screen. The site works by you selecting the site of interest in the top window and then selecting the item you want to know about in the bottom window then click on the ‘GO’ button.
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