The sites are the Pioneer Valley Yacht Club, Longmeadow, Pynchon Point, Agawam and Brunelles Marina, South Hadley.
SPRINGFIELD – The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is still seeking volunteers to participate in a water quality monitoring project on the Connecticut River for three monitoring sites.
The sites are the Pioneer Valley Yacht Club, Longmeadow, Pynchon Point, Agawam and Brunelles Marina, South Hadley.
The Connecticut River will be monitored on a weekly basis between the last week of May to the first week of October.
Volunteers are needed to collect a water sample at one site each Thursday morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Samples must be brought to the PVPC office in Springfield.
The monitoring project, which is now in its sixth year, results in water quality data that provides a more complete picture of the river’s health and understanding about sources of contamination.
Water quality information is posted shortly after sampling at www.connecticutriver.us and is useful not only for recreational users who have direct contact with the waters, but for local, state and federal officials in addressing combined sewer overflow discharges and stormwater flows.
Bacteria monitoring is only one aspect of the website, which is full of maps and other information about river-related recreation. Indeed, germs or no germs, the website celebrates New England’s great American Heritage River. In May last year, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar designated the Connecticut River as America’s first National Blueway.
To volunteer for sampling, please contact Anne Capra at PVPC, (413) 781-6045 or acapra@pvpc.org.