Quinnipiac River Watershed Association
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Riffle Bio Assessment by Volunteers (RBV)

It has become difficult to find any sites that meet CT DEEP requirements therefore QRWA provides a pared down version of "offical" Riffle Bio Assessment (RBV) as an educational component to students in the watershed at annual environmental education field trips. QRWA no longer offers "offical" collections to CT DEEP.  QRWA Certified Local RBV Trainer and Instructor, Becky Martorell also serves as co-chair for QRWA Environmental Education programs. 

GRANTS Awarded for RBV Programs

October 2013 a $20,000 3M Environmental Education Grant was awarded to QRWA making it possible to provide water quality programs to students in both high school and elementary levels for educational purposes and to introduce annual field trips that include water quality testing, chemical and physical testing of samples taken from Hanover Pond. Students also learned how to fish, fly-tie, kayak and they released the trout they raised in the classroom. 

Rapid Bio-Assessment Program Re Instituted in 2012 through a $10,000 Grant from the 3M Foundation. 
3M has a production facility in Meriden on Research Parkway and is a major supplier of water filtration products. RBV does not test the water’s drinkability, but rather the quality of the ecological environment based on the type and amount of organisms in the water.
Updates to RBV and Yearly Reports Below

Click here for 2015 Annual Report   The RBV Program was selected to present a poster at the 2016 Annual Nonpoint Source Conference in Hartford, CT on April 20-21st.

Click here for 2014 Final RBV Report  - Special thanks to Becky Martorelli for her dedication to this program and for her passion in teaching students about the importance of water quality and for continuing to give them a "hands on" experience. Check website for fall programs. You may contact Becky via this website by using the "contact us" form. 

NOTICE FROM CT DEEP for 2014

The State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is making available the draft State of Connecticut Integrated Water Quality Report for public review and comment (Public Notice) from July 28, 2014 to August 29, 2014. This Report was prepared by the DEEP to fulfill requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) under Sections 305(b) and 303(d). The final document will be submitted to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following the Department’s consideration of comments received.

 Interested persons may obtain copies of the draft Integrated Water Quality Report (IWQR) on the DEEP website at http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=325610&deepNav_GID=1654

Hard copies of the document may be requested by contacting the Department at (860) 424-3323. Comments on the draft document must be received at the Department by August 29, 2014 in order to be considered prior to submission of the Report to EPA. Comments should be directed to Walter Tokarz electronically at walter.tokarz@ct.gov or in writing to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, Planning and Standards Division, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT, 06106-5127. Public informational meeting has been scheduled for August 13, 2014 at 1:30 PM in the Phoenix Auditorium located on the 5th floor of the DEEP headquarters at 79 Elm Street in Hartford, Connecticut.

 The 2013 River Bioassessment by Volunteers (RBV) annual program report is now available for download. To access a copy of the report  click here

2013 RBV Highlights

2013 RBV volunteers identified the greatest percentage of sites with four or more ‘Most Wanted’ macroinvertebrate types in 10 years!
  • First time participants included the Kent Conservation Commission, The Marvelwood School, the Mill River Collaborative, and WAMOGO High School - Welcome to the ‘RBV family’ !!! J
  • Together 565 volunteers successfully monitored 137 sites on more than 90 different streams in Connecticut!
  • These volunteers contributed an estimated 3,257 hours over the course of 99 RBV events
  • 23 of the sites were monitored for the first time ever
The 2012 River Bioassessment by Volunteers (RBV) report is now available for download from the DEEP website click here for report

Rapid Bio- Assessment Update for Fall of 2012

In the fall of 2012 we were fortunate to engage Maloney High School Students in the process, rely on a core group of return volunteers, and offer community service hours to students that were previously trained. We have plans to expand our RBV throughout the towns/cities in the watershed. Please contact QRWA RBV Instructor and Trainer, Becky Martorelli if you wish to participate or become a Team Leader for our 2013 fall program.