SeVWA’s 2014 River Monitoring Was Completed on September 10th

SeVWA’s 2014 River Monitoring was Completed on September 10th (Provided by L. Callahan, Sep. 12, 2014)

August 27th was the last full river sampling day of Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance’s (SeVWA’s) 2014 river monitoring program, but there was one more monitoring day on Sep. 10th at three sites on the Saxtons River and one on the Williams River.

SeVWA’s 2014 river monitoring season – from mid-June through this week – included 26 stream sites where water quality samples were collected by volunteers. The sampling was scheduled for evry 2 weeks. Those 26 sites were along the West River, North Branch Brook, Rock River, Williams River, Middle Branch Williams River, Saxtons River and Whetstone Brook. The parameters tested were Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, air & water temperature, three nutrient parameters, turbidity and conductivity. The E. coli testing was run and reported each week of sampling. The other parameters’ results will be shared in a final report later this fall along with the E. coli results and other information about the rivers included in SeVWA’s water quality monitoring program. (Last year’s final report, which includes 2010-2013 info, is available as a pdf file at https://sites.google.com/site/vtsevwa/important-documents).

As with the sampling on August 27th, several days preceding the September 10th sampling were remarkably dry. There were no major rain events in SeVWA’s monitoring region during the 48 hours prior to sampling. The E. coli results at the 4 sites sampled met the state of Vermont’s and EPA’s standard for “suitability for swimming”. See the attached E. coli results charts for SeVWA’s 2014 season’s E. coli testing results.

During the 2014 monitoring season we saw a number of times when sampling followed rain events that contributed to E. coli results that exceeded the state of Vermont’s and EPA’s standard for “suitability for swimming”. Elevated E. coli results can occur when bacteria from wildlife or domestic animal waste as well as from human waste, including that from failed septic systems, enter our streams and lakes via run-off from the surrounding landscape during significant rainfalls. The E. coli in the water may not directly cause an illness after swimming, but its presence indicates that there is probable fecal contamination of the water by warm blooded animals. Swimming in water with an E. coli level greater than 235 per 100 milliliters of water puts you at a higher probable risk to develop some sort of waterborne illness. Various sources recommend that in that situation it is probably best to wait 24-48 hours after the significant rain event to swim in the effected waters.

SeVWA’s 2014 river monitoring sites are all located in Class B waters in the state of Vermont. The state of Vermont water quality standard for E. coli in Class B waters is 77 E. coli per 100 milliliters of water. That value is significantly lower than the 235 for “suitable for swimming” standard. On many 2014 sampling days a number of sites’ E. coli results exceeded that Class B waters’ standard. This will be discussed more in the program’s final report.

E. coli results charts and accompanying commentaries have appeared at www.ibrattleboro.com (Living/Nature section) every 2 weeks through the 2014 monitoring season. For more information about SeVWA’s monitoring program sites and results and other Connecticut River watershed water quality and recreational information, please visit www.ctriver.us.

SeVWA’s water quality monitoring program is supported by SeVWA volunteers, members and donors. The State of VT Department of Environmental Conservation’s LaRosa Environmental Testing Laboratory and Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) provide support for laboratory analysis of river samples.

SeVWA’s river monitoring program exists through the generosity of supporters who value the monitoring and stewardship of our region’s waterways. For more information about providing a monetary contribution please contact Gloria Cristelli, SeVWA president, at sevwa.mail@gmail.com. Donations can be mailed to: SeVWA, P.O. Box 402, Brattleboro, VT 05302. If you’d like to contribute by becoming a SeVWA volunteer, please contact Laurie Callahan at sevwa.volunteer@gmail.com. Our 2014 river sampling activities are done for the season, but there are other related activities that will be happening during the fall, winter and spring.

Thanks again for your interest and for all you do to support SeVWA’s monitoring program.

This information has been provided by Laurie Callahan for SeVWA’s Water Quality Monitoring Program  (sevwa.volunteer@gmail.com).