Water Quality Program Receives a Make-over

The new River Health Index compares dissolved oxygen levels measured by volunteer monitors in 2019 with optimal habitat conditions for native fish.

The RiverWatch volunteer monitoring program was delayed from its traditional annual start date in March while we waited to see how the current pandemic would unfold and what precautions would be needed. Around 50 RiverWatch volunteers currently monitor 35 sites on the rivers and tributaries of the Ipswich River watershed, including several sites in both the Parker and Essex River watersheds. Volunteers measure dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, chloride and record other water characteristics. After participating in discussions with other watershed groups, we outlined safety precautions for the volunteers to follow, so we felt comfortable restarting the program on May 17th. Things went well and many of the volunteers enjoyed the chance to get back outside! We are grateful to the volunteers for their patience and continued willingness to look out for the river during these challenging times.

We would like to introduce the new River Health Index page on our website. This index compares dissolved oxygen levels measured by volunteer monitors in 2019 with optimal habitat conditions for native fish. The Ipswich River’s fisheries have been degraded by low flow problems, especially in the summer, leading to low dissolved oxygen levels, which are harmful to many types of fish, especially river dependent species, such as brook trout that need plenty of cool, flowing water to survive. Low oxygen levels, even for short periods of time, can have a long-term impact on populations of fish and other aquatic organisms. The index highlights the importance of water conservation and river restoration as ways that can be used to help preserve the river for people and wildlife. The health index for 2020 will be added as new data becomes available at the end of each month. Additional water characteristic data will be added to the index as it becomes available.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent RiverWatch volunteer survey. This survey came out of the work we are doing with the Division of Ecological Restoration to gain insight into how our programs can be leveraged and adapted to lead to more on-the-ground improvements of water quality. We plan to administer a survey to our full membership in the next few weeks regarding Stormwater in the Ipswich River Watershed. Keep an eye out for the survey and please participate, we would be so thankful for as many members to respond as possible. But that’s not the last of our survey-spree! We are excited to announce that after surveying experts in the field of water quality and turf science, we are in the process of developing a residential survey to administer this summer to 500 households within the watershed.  This survey seeks to understand what landscaping practices are used within our watershed and what alternative behaviors residents may be willing to adopt to protect the health of the Ipswich River! You can learn more about the novel methods we are employing in this Water Quality Restoration Pilot Framework here

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