Creek Group Needs Citizen Monitors
Morgantown Dominion Post
24 February 2013
Submitted to The Dominion Post
Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) is recruiting volunteers who live
or work in Preston County to take part in a water quality
monitoring program.
The monitoring is part of FODC’s requirements under a U.S. EPA
Environmental Justice grant.
The citizen-based water monitoring program is part of The
Watershed Bill of Rights project.
The program is designed to help protect the Deckers Creek and
surrounding watersheds by educating residents on how to prevent,
reduce and eliminate water pollution.
In a half-day training session, the volunteers will learn how, and
be equipped to, monitor streams for data in areas potentially
threatened by pollution from new natural gas drilling sites.
Citizens will do bi-weekly stream monitoring for a variety of
chemicals, as well as do a visual survey of work going on near the
monitoring site in connection with the gas drilling.
Data gathered by the Citizen Scientists will be used by the W.Va.
Department of Environmental Protection and agencies to develop
practices and environmental regulations.
So far, FODC has trained 27 citizen scientists in the Monongalia
County region of the watershed, but needs volunteers to monitor
the upper reaches, in Preston County.
Info on becoming a monitor: Hannah@deckers creek.org or
304-292-3970.