The City of Lexington invites residents to assess water quality in their own backyards this fall as part of the City’s Watershed-Focused Monitoring Program. The current round of testing will focus on the Wolf Run watershed, in the heart of Fayette County.
Training for new volunteers will take place Friday, September 16 at 9 a.m. at the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant Training Room, 301 Lisle Industrial Ave. Volunteers should email Lindsie Nicholas at lnicholas@lexingtonky.gov to RSVP.
Trained volunteers can participate in two sampling events this fall. Ten additional sampling events are planned for next summer, May to September. Alongside city staff, volunteers will visit sites in the Wolf Run watershed to collect and test water samples.
Jerry Weisenfluh, a longtime volunteer, encourages others to participate in the program. “I started volunteering when I retired,” says Mr. Weisenfluh. “Anyone who likes the outdoors and interacting with nature should volunteer. You get to see parts of the city you would never usually see, and it helps you understand why it’s important to protect our streams.”
Draft water quality data is shared with volunteers. “Getting to see the data after going out in the field gave me a high level of understanding of water quality issues,” adds Mr. Weisenfluh.
This field work aids in identifying sources of pollution. For example, volunteer data has been helpful in determining whether high levels of E. coli in our streams are linked to leaking sewer lines or wildlife that naturally live in the environment. This information drives efforts to clean and protect local creeks.
Other parameters evaluated include flow, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, chlorine, detergents, phosphorus, ammonia, nitrate, and suspended solids.
