Volunteers Needed to Monitor Water Quality in the Oyster River
By Jody Record, Campus Journal Editor
April 7, 2010
The Oyster River water quality monitoring program is seeking volunteers to help monitor the Oyster River. The program is sponsored by UNH Water Supply, Oyster River Watershed Association, and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
The program, run by volunteers, helps to evaluate the health of the river and its tributaries in Durham, Madbury, Lee, and Barrington.
Volunteers are needed to do physical, biological and bacteria monitoring.
Physical monitoring, done once a month from May through November, checks the oxygen, turbidity, conductance, pH, and temperature of the river. Sampling will take place on Friday or Saturday mornings from about 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Volunteers can participate in one or more sampling trips. A two-hour training session run by New Hampshire DES is required.
Biological monitoring evaluates water quality using macro-invertebrates. It involves two training sessions in mid-August and two, three-hour field sessions in August and/or September.
If they choose, volunteers who sign up for bacteria monitoring will take five field trips once a month from June through October. Each trip will take place early on a weekday morning, and last about three hours. Volunteers can participate in one or more trips.
To volunteer contact Tom Lee, 659-2269, tom.lee@unh.edu or Brian Gallagher, 2-1390 or brian.gallagher@unh.edu.
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