Blackstone River Flood Alert Information
Water Quality Monitoring Program
DOWNLOAD a 2007 Data Sheet

WQM PhotoThe Blackstone River Wartershed Association is in its fourth year of participating in the Blackstone River Coalition Watershed-wide Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. With responsibility for 34 monitoring sites between Grafton and the Rhode Island border, the Blackstone River Watershed Association has been a major partner in this monitoring project.

WQM PhotoThirty eight field and laboratory volunteers received training to do chemical and physical monitoring as well as habitat surveys. Samples are collected at a designated site on the second Saturday morning of every month from April through November. Tests done in the field included dissolved oxygen and temperature measurements of air and water. Samples are brought to a lab at Tri-County Medical Associates in Uxbridge, MA. where a group of lab volunteers tests the samples for pH, nitrates, phosphates, turbidity and bacteria.

These data are used to promote better management, improve water quality of the watershed and its ecosystem, to develop the Blackstone Watershed Water Quality Report Card [ 2004 | 2005 | 2006 ] and to achieve a Fishable/Swimmable Blackstone River by 2015.