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Happenings in the Keweenaw Peninsula October 16, 2002 Text © 2002 Michele Anderson and America's Clean Water Foundation Press Release. Clean Water logos courtesy America's Clean Water Foundation.

Hancock students to participate in National Water Monitoring Day Oct. 18

HANCOCK -- On Friday, Oct. 18, students from Hancock High School will participate in an unprecedented event marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Clean Water Act. On this day, volunteers, students and others will join with environmental professionals for National Water Monitoring Day. This event will mark the first time that water monitoring will be conducted across the country on one day.

Kerry Kostamo, Hancock High School science teacher, said students in Integrated Science will be monitoring the water at two sites on the Swedetown Creek.

"Our new high school is located within walking distance of a beautiful area that is worth preserving," Kostamo said. "Students will spend one day learning about what tests are done to monitor water quality and on the next day they will use test equipment to monitor the health of the creek. National Water Monitoring Day provides students with a chance to get outside, appreciate the beauty of our area and contribute to scientific research that will be conducted and tabulated nationwide."

The main purpose of the water monitoring event is to connect people to their watershed by taking a snapshot view of four simple water quality indicators in streams, lakes and coastal waters throughout the United States. This will be done by inviting citizens, students and established volunteer monitoring organizations, as well as federal, state, Tribal and local monitoring program staff, to evaluate conditions within their local watersheds.

This national monitoring effort is coordinated by America's Clean Water Foundation (ACWF), in cooperation with several other environmental groups and government agencies across the country.

Local watershed groups, state environmental agencies and federal agencies, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Geological Survey, offer strong support for National Water Monitoring Day. They are encouraging everyone to join with thousands of other volunteers across the country to register a monitoring site at www.yearofcleanwater.org, sample the water quality and report their findings back to this website after data is collected. To accommodate weather conditions or other scheduling issues locally, results from monitoring conducted from October 12-27 will be accepted into the national database.

"One of the important lessons learned from the past 30 years is the need for grassroots participation in caring for the natural resources that benefit us locally," said Robbi Savage, president of America's Clean Water Foundation. "Government efforts alone are not enough. What each of us does on a daily basis affects water quality. Impacts of pollution upstream in a river can adversely affect people hundreds of miles downstream. The public must be part of the solution. This is why the national monitoring partnership of citizens, state and local governments, and federal agencies is so important.

"We are grateful to the many partners who are supporting this event," Savage continued, "and look forward to the thousands of people who will be in the water October 18th making a difference in their local watersheds."

Local monitoring will be conducted at sites across the country. The day's efforts will be easy to carry out. Volunteers are asked to perform and submit data from four key tests: dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity/clarity and temperature. Test kits may be ordered at minimal costs through the Year of Clean Water Web site at www.yearofcleanwater.org.

Ed Moyer, national program manager for America's Clean Water Foundation, reported on Oct. 14 that over 65 Michigan sites were registered, but at least 100 sites would be monitored, since one organization will do 35 sites, but will only register one.

"Nationally, at last count on Friday 10/11, we had close to 1800 sites registered with more added daily," Moyer noted.

Data collected will help in drafting summary comparisons reflecting changes in water quality over the last thirty years.

For more details, visit the Year of Clean Water Web site.

For related information, visit the Web site of America's Clean Water Foundation and also check out www.tmdls.net.

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