Blackstone River Coalition Wins EPA Award

The Blackstone River Coalition’s (BRC) Blackstone River Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Team was selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to receive this year’s prestigious Environmental Merit Award. The Blackstone River Coalition is a partnership of several organizations, businesses and municipalities in the Blackstone Valley that are working to restore the Blackstone River and improve the health of its watershed. The Blackstone Headwaters Coalition (BHC) in Worcester, The Blackstone River Watershed Association (BRWA) in Central Massachusetts and The Blackstone River Watershed Council (BRWC) in Rhode Island conduct the group’s water quality monitoring program. The BRC’s Water Quality Monitoring Program is part of its ambitious plan to make the Blackstone River and its tributaries clean enough for swimming by 2015. The much used and abused Blackstone River was considered a dead river up until the 1970s, but through the efforts of many concerned residents, the fish have returned and the water is now clean enough for recreational boating and canoeing. Each month, volunteers collect river and stream information such as in-stream conditions, stream corridor conditions, water temperature and the presence of wildlife habitat. Water quality is tested to measure disolved oxygen, bacteria levels, total phosphorus, nitrates, turbidity, and pH. EPA Regional Administrator, Robert Varney stated that “the annual EPA Environmental Merit Award recognizes outstanding environmental advocates who have made significant contributions toward preserving and protecting our natural resources” and that the Blackstone River Coalition was nominated for “its exceptional work and commitment to the environment in 2004”. A special award ceremony will be held at Faneuil Hall in Boston on May 11. For more information about water quality in the Blackstone River, check the BRC web site at www.zaptheblackstone.org or the BRWA website at www.thebrwa.org