Thanks to funding from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) our volunteer RiverWatch Water Quality Monitoring program will this year sample an additional five headwater tributaries in the upper North River watershed, and we will be able to sample sites within shellfish areas in the lower estuary 10 additional times this summer, The new headwater locations include Cushing Brook, Drinkwater River, French Stream, Indian Head River and Longwater Brook – all of which have been listed as impaired for bacteria.
Additional tributary sampling will provide MassDEP with updated bacterial data on impaired water bodies in the North River watershed and increase our understanding of pathogen contamination in the upper watershed. Want to volunteer to help us sample water quality this summer? Sign up here or contact citzenscience@nsrwa.org.
(Map key: Blue–Testing sites within shellfish beds; Green–Other testing sites; Red–North River headwater sites)