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     Citizen ScienceBio-Assessment - Volunteer Monitoring of River
The Rapid Bioassessment Program supports the QRWA’s volunteer monitoring and citizen science programs and helps the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) gather much-needed data and monitor our river’s water quality, while 3M is the financial supporter providing the funding for the much needed equipment for this annual task. 3M has a production facility in Meriden on Research Parkway and is a major supplier of water filtration products. This is a great opportunity for everyday people to take part in the QRWA’s ‘Citizen Science’, a critical component to this entire grant. The event, our premier fall activity, involves volunteers taking aquatic creature samples along various points along the Q River and its incoming streams, categorizing the live little creatures, returning the samples back into the water and sending some samples to the state of CT for verification. The samples will contain insects and other creep-crawly things, otherwise known as macro invertebrates. These macro invertebrates range from being highly sensitive to not so sensitive to changes in their environment, the moving water. By sampling a number of locations along the Q River, scientists can determine the quality of the water based on the location, number and types of macro invertebrates found in the samples. They are the pieces of the puzzle that give an overall picture of the health of the Quinnipiac River. As we plan to do this annually, we can then get a continuous history of the water quality for the 19 towns that fall within the Quinnipiac River watershed. And if the results show a problem, then the DEEP can research the possible contributors and address them and the public as needed. Depending on the number of volunteers and team leaders we recruit, we anticipate monitoring the major tributaries along the Quinnipiac River including Honeypot Brook (Cheshire), Eightmile River (Bristol/Southington/Wolcott), Tenmile River (Wolcott/Southington/Cheshire/Prospect), Misery Brook (Southington), Muddy River (Wallingford/Hamden/North Branford), Meetinghouse Brook (Wallingford), Wharton Brook (Wallingford), Harbor Brook (Meriden), Sodom Brook (Berlin/Meriden) and Broad Brook (Cheshire/Meriden/Wallingford). RBV is a citizen-based water quality-monitoring program developed by the CT DEEP. The RBV program is a standardized screening method that keeps the equipment, expertise, and time commitment to a minimum while at the same time identifies sections of streams with pollution sensitive organisms. In some instances, more formal DEEP methods may be required to provide a definitive water quality assessment. This method was developed specifically so that volunteers could be a part of the water quality monitoring data collection because it is easy to use, eliminates the need for expensive equipment, resources and lengthy time commitment and, provides usable water quality information for the CT DEEP. Eagle CountIn 2007, bald eagles nested on the river for the first time since state records were kept. QRWA volunteers participate in eagle counts every January. StreamwalksTeams of QRWA trained volunteers walked the river and its tributaries, reporting on erosion, over-fertilization and other ecological hazards. These teams reported on the conditions they have found to QRWA staff, who target these areas for appropriate follow-up, including landowner education.
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