Freshwater Pond Water Quality Monitoring Program Volunteers

Volunteers help collect water quality data on six of Chatham’s fresh-water ponds: Barclay, Emery, Lovers, Schoolhouse, Stillwater, and White. Volunteers will collect field data on the pond’s turbidity, dissolved oxygen levels, and temperature profile. These data are then entered on data forms that are emailed to the town’s Department of Health and Natural Resources for further analyses. Volunteers are trained and certified in the use of the water sampling equipment. Data collection is done three times per summer—generally once in May, July, and Sept. Our goal is to have 6 to 8 teams of two people to help divide up the monitoring effort. Note that data is collected at a specific location on the pond, so use of a boat or kayak will be necessary. FCW will assist in the procurement of a vessel as needed.

This freshwater program began in the summer of 2015, sixteen years after FCW launched the ‘Water Watchers’ monitoring program to test the water quality of our saltwater estuaries. This is a long-term monitoring program intended to gauge the overall health of our ponds, discern any trends, and help guide any potential water quality mitigation strategies. In combination with the Friends of Chatham Waterways cyanobacteria monitoring program, the freshwater pond water quality monitoring program helps to provide a holistic view of the water quality and aquatic health of Chatham’s freshwater ponds. Joining our corps of Citizen Scientists is a great reason to get out of the house, away from yard work or other chores, and to enjoy one of Chatham’s many amazing aquatic resources, our beautiful and peaceful freshwater ponds. It’s also a wonderful educational experience for kids; not to mention an important volunteer service for the town of Chatham. If you’re interested and would like more information, please email us and you’ll be contacted right away to discuss this volunteer opportunity with Friends of Chatham Waterways.

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Freshwater Pond Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program Volunteers

Volunteers help make our cyanobacteria monitoring program possible! The program runs June through October. Volunteers help collect water samples in five of Chatham’s freshwater ponds that will then be examined for the presence of potentially toxic cyanobacteria (a.k.a. blue-green algae). The purpose of the sampling program is to identify any potential toxicity generated by the cyanobacteria before it becomes a public health matter. Volunteers make some basic field observations at their pond and then collect water samples from the shoreline. The water samples are dropped off at the town of Chatham Annex building for processing and further lab analyses. Volunteers will learn to detect cyanobacteria blooms in the ponds and will be trained on the use of the sampling equipment.

Typically, we sample five freshwater ponds in Chatham: Lovers, Stillwater, White, Schoolhouse, and Goose. Water samples are taken twice per month beginning in late spring and into the early fall. Our goal is to have 8 to 10 teams of two people to divide up the sampling effort across the various ponds. Joining our corps of Citizen Scientists is a great reason to get out of the house, away from yard work or other chores, and to enjoy one of Chatham’s many amazing aquatic resources, our beautiful and peaceful freshwater ponds. It is an important volunteer service for our community. If you’re interested and would like more information, email us and we will get back to you to discuss this volunteer opportunity with Friends of Chatham Waterways.

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Coastsweep

To volunteer for FCW's annual Coastsweep beach cleanup in mid September 2023,
contact one of the Coastsweep coordinators:

The actual Coastsweep date will be available in early August.
Please consider spending a few hours cleaning up a section of our waterways!

 

Water Watchers (Salt Water Testing Volunteering)

Chatham Water Watchers Water Quality Monitoring Program is a comprehensive monitoring program that collects nutrient related water quality data. The Friends of Chatham Waterways, in cooperation with the Town of Chatham, Pleasant Bay Alliance, Harwich Natural Resources Office, and Orleans Water Quality Task Force, has recruited and trained more than 150 volunteers to monitor field conditions and collect water quality samples at locations throughout Pleasant Bay, Stage Harbor Estuaries and South Coastal Embayment’s. All program procedures follow a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Water quality data is collected by the volunteers for the following parameters: salinity, temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Secchi Depth, Phytoplankton Pigments (Chloraphyll-a and Phaeophytin), Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen, Particulate Organic Nitrogen, Dissolved Organic Nitrogen, Total Organic Nitrogen, Total Nitrogen and Organic Carbon.

Samples are collected at two depths (one-half meter below surface and one-half meter above bottom) for most stations. During each sampling event stations are randomly selected for duplicate sampling as specified in the QAPP. Once collected, water samples are transported to the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth campus for nutrient analysis, by the Town of Chatham Natural Resources Department.

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