River Watch Teams work for healthy waterways Fresh, clean water is one of the world’s most precious resources. In this special supplement we examine the critical efforts made to keep our local rivers clean and river ecology healthy by volunteers of the Addison County River Watch Collaborative, or ACRWC, and others around the state. The ACRWC helps support Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Conservation efforts to maintain and improve water quality by providing baseline measurements of Addison County streams and up-to-date testing to discover changes in the water. This support is crucial as these agencies feel pressure from the public and the federal government to clean up our waters during a time when their budgets are being squeezed. ACRWC volunteers collect water samples from sample stations on Otter Creek, Middlebury River, Lemon Fair River, New Haven River, Lewis Creek and Little Otter Creek. They test for such indicators as bacteria, pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and water temperature. From April to September the state lab processes the samples and analyzes the results to pinpoint areas where we need to remedy water quality problems. In addition to assessing the condition of our local rivers, creeks and streams, the ACRWC seeks to raise public awareness of and commitment to the ecological, economic and social values of our waterways. It also supports and praises landowners when they take action to improve the health and quality of our local streams. ACRWC and its partners are creating an integrated watershed approach to natural resources. This makes sense ecologically and will also, hopefully, encourage greater citizen responsibility for the integrity of these watersheds. The River Watch Collaborative depends on local support to carry on the stream monitoring work they do. Through this section we hope to educate and celebrate the work they do to keep our water sources clean and healthy.
A Special Publication of The Addison Independent t April 3, 2014