Water Quality Monitoring

PLC partners with NHDES through participation in the Voluntary River Assessment Program (VRAP), a volunteer-driven water sampling program focusing on the stewardship of the Piscataquog River.  Water quality monitoring throughout our 11 communities is just one conservation tool the PLC employs to help permanently protect critical habitats that are threatened by fragmentation and encroaching development.  

Water quality measurements repeated over time create a picture of the fluctuating conditions and help to determine where improvements, restoration or preservation may benefit the river and the communities it supports.  Regular collection of water quality data allows for early detection of water quality changes and the ability of the PLC and NHDES to trace potential problems to their source.  

Our VRAP volunteers

PLC’s VRAP volunteers are trained in the use of water quality monitoring equipment at annual training workshops.  PLC has established long monitoring stations and develops sampling plans with our volunteers to implement between spring and fall of each year that include monitoring locations, parameters, and frequency.

What Do We Monitor

PLC maintains our own water quality monitoring equipment kit for use by our VRAP volunteers.  The kit contains meters and supplies for in-the-field core parameter measurements of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance (conductivity), and turbidity.  For information regarding the interpretation of these water quality parameters and their importance to maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems, refer to http://www.des.state.nh.us/wmb/vrap/documents/WQParams.pdf

Water Quality in our Watershed

Data collected by PLC volunteers over the season are submitted to NHDES.  Annual reports published by NHDES regarding overall water quality of the Piscataquog can be found at (link to xxx).

How Can You Help?

Information on becoming a water quality monitor can be found on our Volunteer Opportunities page. If you have questions about water quality issues, or would like to learn more about our program, please contact us.