Photo: Lower Merion Conservancy
Section 3. Managing Watershed Stresses
MONITORING AND
RESEARCH
Ongoing monitoring and research are essential to understanding conditions
in the watershed. Pennsylvania DEP’s Surface Water Quality Network, the
U.S. Geological Survey’s gauging stations, the U.S. EPA’s “Storet”
database and the volunteer water monitoring database of DEP and the Senior
Environmental Corps are important sources of Schuylkill data that are accessible
to the public.
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and the Lower Merion Conservancy illustrate the kinds of monitoring activities undertaken by nonprofit organizations. The Riverkeeper trains and organizes volunteers to undertake targeted chemical sampling as part of its Incident Reporting Program. It also works with citizen groups in stream surveys to assess local stream conditions. In Montgomery County, the Lower Merion Conservancy’s StreamWatch program involves a network of volunteers who collect weekly data on Mill Creek.
It is important that volunteers have proper training. One approach to addressing that need is the Stroud Water Research Center’s “Stream School,” which offers a multi-day program on biological monitoring techniques.
Our knowledge of the watershed has been enhanced by research projects of respected scientific institutions such as the Stroud Center (see Section 1. Biological Health) and The Academy of Natural Science’s Patrick Center for Environmental Research. Currently, the Patrick Center is working on a project funded by the U.S. EPA to assess the ecological benefits of reforesting riparian lands in urban watersheds.
Site Design: Tevlin & Clarke
