Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring - collecting the "critters" that live in our streams to determine water and habitat quality.
Water Quality Monitoring occurs every Spring and Fall in the Flint River Watershed. Monitoring season spans a 2 week period in which staff and volunteers monitor up to 35 sites across Genesee and Lapeer counties.
Monitoring consists of a group of 2-4 volunteers going to a site, taking various measurements such as water depth and flow, and collecting “benthics” from a preset 300 foot stretch.
Benthics are the macroinvertebrates, like water pennies and dragonfly larvae, that live in the stream. Depending on how many and what type of benthics are found, the stream is then rated with a score from poor to excellent.
That data is compared to previous seasons and reviewed by our monitoring committee. The monitoring data is also shared with local and state agencies (such as the Genesee County Drain Commission, whose generous support helps to maintain this program), as well as on our website, www.flintriver.org.
While monitoring can be wet and cold on occasion, it is always a lot of fun.
Participating in the Monitoring program does not mean you have to get in the water. Volunteers can help in the lab or on the Monitoring Committee. The monitoring committee meets once a month in Flint and oversees the Monitoring Program. There is always room for new monitors and committee members.
