Contact: Kate Harris
867-0524 (cell)
BOISE, ID, April 16, 2009 – More than 200 volunteers from Ada and Canyon counties are taking part in the second annual “Watershed Watch.” The volunteers will monitor water quality at 23 sites spanning from Lucky Peak to Star. The event is (tomorrow) Saturday, April 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
"Having citizens involved with taking water quality samples and understanding what makes a river healthy is so important,” said CH2M Hill Water Resources Engineer Sherrill Doran. “We all have a stake in keeping our rivers and creeks as clean as possible, for now and for future generations."
Volunteers include elementary, middle, and high school and college students, along with boy scouts, church groups, environmental groups, corporate green teams and families. The volunteer groups are led by environmental agency staff that have been trained in water quality monitoring.
The citizens will test the water for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, bacteria, and presence of macroinvertebrates (water bugs). The data will be posted on the Boise Environmental Education website and may be used in future analysis by regulatory agencies.
Watershed Watch is sponsored by the City of Boise, City of Nampa, USGS, DEQ, Wood Rodgers, MWH, United Water and CH2M Hill.
FOR MEDIA OPPORTUNITY go to any of these sites from 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.:
- Eagle Island State Park (park at the south end of Trout Road, walk to the south fork of the Boise River)
- Lake Lowell (at the Boat Ramp off Iowa Avenue)
- Anne Morrision Park (boat take out)
- Glenwood Bridge (east side dirt parking lot)
Please visit www.BoiseEnvironmentalEducation.org for further information.