Explore Our Local Waterways this Spring and Summer
Archived News Release: February 28, 2024 - Volunteer with the Huron River Watershed Council this spring and summer to improve the health of our home rivers and streams, meet new people, and spend time outdoors. HRWC’s Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program is gearing up for its spring launch. For over two decades, the program has engaged watershed residents in protecting clean water through seasonal water monitoring at dozens of sites in Southeast Michigan. From April to September, volunteers sign up for a number of dates to meet up with a small team of volunteers for two to three-hour excursions to area streams and the Huron River. On a typical outing, teams travel to a few sites located along local waterways, collect water samples, record chemistry parameters, and measure stream flow.
With the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program, HRWC has built one of the largest and most continuous records of watershed chemistry data in the country. This long-term dataset provides HRWC and others with critical information to identify potential restoration projects, track changes in the river, and develop tools to better predict water quality outcomes. A variety of state and local partners, including the City of Ann Arbor, use the data to improve water quality. Municipal collaboratives like the Middle Huron Partners, rely on it to inform shared efforts and track progress on work required by Clean Water Act stormwater permits. At the state level, the data helps inform water regulations that provide a strategic framework for reducing pollution.
Join the Huron River Watershed Council as a volunteer with the Chemistry and Flow Monitoring Program. A virtual program orientations will be held on Saturday, March 23rd from 1:00 to 2:30 pm to introduce volunteers to the goals and method of water quality monitoring. For more information and to register for an orientation, please visit www.hrwc.org/chemflow.
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