Winooski Water Quality Monitoring

Volunteer water quality monitoring plays an important role in educating the public about water quality issues and promoting stewardship of water resources. Volunteer monitoring can go beyond education to identify specific problems, measure progress toward water quality improvements and shape public policy. Data collected by volunteers may be used by local and state government for decision-making and enforcement. Currently the Friends are working with volunteers in the Headwaters area (above the confluence with the Kingsbury Branch) and through the Mid Winooski Partnership.

Flow metering. Photo by George Springston

Headwaters Monitoring

In early 2007, the Cabot Conservation Committee and the Marshfield and Plainfield Conservation Commissions joined together to initiate a pilot water quality study in their towns. The study area is the Winooski River mainstem and the tributaries in the three towns. For the past two summers, Commission members along with other volunteers have collected data for a number of water qaulity parameters including bacteria. Vist the Headwaters Monitoring page for complete 2007 results and preliminary 2008 results.

Mid Winooski Partnership Monitoring

In 2008, the Friends and many other partners formed the Mid Winooski Partnership. The goal of this partnership is to work together to protect and restore the Winooski watershed between the Kingsbury Branch and Dog River including the subwatersheds of the Stevens and North Branch. The first project this group decided to undertake was a community-based water quality monitoring program to complement the work of the three high schools in the area (U32, Montpelier and Spaulding).