GREENFIELD — The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) is gearing up for a spring and summer of continued water quality testing, supported by a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The $50,000 is part of $200,000 provided to five organizations across the state dedicated to water quality testing, with the CRC receiving the largest portion. This funding supports the salaries of those at the CRC and its partner groups to continue water testing, as well as purchase necessary equipment, CRC Water Quality Program Manager Melissa Langley said.
“This grant also funds my time to analyze, compile, and submit our data to the state and to the [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] so that it can be used by others,” Langley wrote in an email. “The grant funds salary for CRC staff and partners as well as supply costs.”
Langley explained that the grant does not expand upon the CRC’s existing water quality testing, but continues to support its current work. The CRC is a non-profit organization located at 15 Bank Row, and dedicated to river advocacy for the Connecticut River watershed in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Notably, this is an increase from last year’s MassDEP grant of $32,366 for the same purpose.
“MassDEP has long partnered with regional watershed coalitions and non-profit organizations to maintain a current assessment of the state of Massachusetts waterbodies,” MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple said in a statement about these grants. “This collaboration positions the commonwealth to continue to be a leader in watershed management as we face a changing climate.”
With this grant, E. coli testing will be done at over 60 sites in the Connecticut River valley, with cyanobacteria testing at 13 locations in nine waterbodies, and nitrogen testing at five tributary sites. All of this data is then uploaded to the CRC’s database, “Is It Clean?” which posts testing data from Vermont down through Connecticut.
According to the “Is It Clean?” database, the CRC began its water quality monitoring program in 2007. In 2009, its laboratory opened, serving 80 water quality testing sites across four states with over 10,000 samples taken since 2009.
E. coli testing begins in June, and runs through August, while testing cyanobacteria, which is better known as blue-green algae, starts in May and runs through October. There’s also nitrogen testing that takes place most of the year, except for the winter, and chloride testing that runs year-round.
Both E. coli and cyanobacteria are harmful to humans and animals. Cyanobacteria cause stomach pain, rashes, headaches and cough symptoms in humans who come into contact with these bacteria, which grow primarily in warm, slow-moving water. Animals and livestock can become sick and die within hours of coming into contact with cyanobacteria as well. E. coli can cause watery and sometimes bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting.
Langley said that because of the health risks associated with harmful bacteria in water, it is important to have water quality monitoring in place to keep the public aware of risks associated with exposure.
“It is important to know what is in our water so that we can take necessary health precautions and can better understand how these water quality parameters impact the organisms living there,” Langley said. “From there, we can take action to improve water quality issues. All of our bacteria data is available for free online and is regularly updated during the recreation season. We also work closely with towns and other stakeholders to increase awareness and address these issues when possible.”
