Water Monitoring Event at Prallsville Mills Highlights NJ Celebration of World Water Monitoring Day

On October 16, middle and high school students and science teachers joined with representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), the NJ Water Supply Authority (NJWSA), the Delaware Greenway Partnership and members of the NJ Americorps at an outreach event to participate in hands-on water testing demonstrations. The event, held at the Prallsville Mills in Stockton, celebrated the conclusion of the global month-long sampling period, kicked off by World Water Monitoring Day (September 18) by featuring the state’s various ongoing water monitoring programs.

Throughout the day, groups of students rotated between eight interactive stations that focused on ground water monitoring, stream flow monitoring, freshwater chemical monitoring, lake and fish sampling, and freshwater biological monitoring. Students had opportunities to analyze water from the nearby Wickecheoke Creek, use microscopes to examine aquatic insects, analyze waterbody maps and models, sample a ground water well, conduct experiments, examine equipment, and observe and identify local fish, while interacting with experts and meeting other students.

This year the event was attended by students from the Stockton School, Hunterdon Christian Academy, North Warren High School and Leonia High School, as well as several home-school students. The event was coordinated by DEP’s Water Monitoring and Standards, NJ Geological Survey and Environmental Education programs. Click here to see a slide show of some of the activities at the celebration.

New Jersey water monitoring efforts include 115 stations in the cooperative DEP/USGS rivers and streams chemical/physical network, over 800 sites in the state’s biological network, a 40 site per year lakes water quality network, and over 2500 sites to evaluate marine water quality. New Jersey’s water monitoring event highlights the state’s ongoing commitment to understanding and improving water quality, and emphasizes the collaborative partnership among the agencies involved to provide information to the public on the conditions of the state’s waters. DEP, USGS, DRBC and NJWSA are partners in the state’s 30-member NJ Water Monitoring Coordinating Council designed to enhance collaboration, communication and cooperation among those actively testing the quality and abundance of our water resources. Additional information on New Jersey’s water monitoring networks and results is available at www.state.nj.us/dep/wms.