Many citizens living in the New River watershed are concerned about water quality. They see large amounts of sediment entering the river during rainstorms. They see large growths of algae in the summer. They see lesions on fish they catch. They wonder what exactly is flowing into the river from manufacturing plants located along the river. They wonder about the effects of development and road and utility construction. They want to know what is affecting water quality and what they can do about it.

The first step in helping these citizens in NC was to establish a volunteer water quality monitoring program for the New River watershed. NCNR volunteers collect valuable data about water quality, which we are entering into a database for tracking and analysis. The information gathered by these volunteer monitors can be used to:

• Educate the local community about water quality issues and encourage protection of water quality
• Establish baseline data where no other data exists
• Document water quality changes over time (trends in water quality)
• Identify potential water quality problems
• Provide a scientific basis for making decisions on watershed management
• Provide information to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs (Best Management Practices)
• Determine the impact of land use activity (urban, industrial, agricultural, etc)
• Supplement water quality data collected by agencies

There are three major types of water quality monitoring. Type I monitoring is physical monitoring. Volunteers visit particular locations along a stream or river once a month and observe and record physical characteristics of stream health. Type II monitoring involves a chemical assessment of stream health. Monitors must use standardized chemical tests, and they must be trained in quality assurance and data reporting. Type III monitoring looks at stream health from a biological perspective. Typically this involves sampling and identifying benthic macroinvertebrates, the small animals that live on the bottom of streams. A comprehensive water quality monitoring program includes all three types. Each serves a different purpose, and together they provide a comprehensive picture of the river’s health. Physical monitoring helps get many citizens out looking at the river and its tributaries, establishing a broad network of both people and water quality data. Chemical monitoring is more expensive and so must be used strategically, but it provides important data about what pollutants are in the water. Biological monitoring is typically not very expensive, but it is time-intensive. By determining which animals are living in the water, monitors are looking at the total effect of all pollutants in the stream. NCNR is working to establish a comprehensive monitoring program that includes all three types.