MRWC
Millers River
Watershed Council, Inc

VOLUNTEER WATERSHED MONITORING OPPORTUNITIES

This location is one of several photo-documentation sites in the Millers River watershed. Do you know where it is?" (Photo credit: Greg McGuane)

Because government agencies have a limited capacity to monitor the health of our waterways, local citizens are encouraged to record their own observations about areas of special interest or concern within the watershed. Volunteers have formed Stream Teams in the Otter River and Tully River tributaries of the Millers River. Join these stream teams or form your own Stream Team for the brook nearest you. Training is provided.

QUALITATIVE SURVEYS

The Shoreline Survey was created by the Mass Riverways Program to aid local residents in examining conditions along a particular stream or river segment. Volunteers conduct the Shoreline Survey by walking the edge of a waterway where public access is both safe and legal, with the permission of any local landowners.

These Surveys can provide valuable information on the conditions of waterways, such as flow levels, habitat change, and the presence or absence of pollution, trash and invasive species. Shoreline Surveys can be done annually, or preferably several times a year, depending on conditions and volunteer availability.

Volunteers are encouraged to select their own stretch of waterway to monitor; the Council can also help people identify a stretch of water to survey. Where possible, volunteers in the same sub-watershed can work together as Stream Teams.

Training sessions are typically provided by the Council and Mass Riverways staff in the summer, though the Survey can also be made at other times during the year. The Council can provide the needed survey data sheets and a trained partner to any un-trained volunteers doing the Survey for the first time. Please contact the Council about upcoming training opportunities.

Volunteer watershed monitors examine invasive plants during a training session. (Photo credit: Carrie Banks)

More detailed information on the Shoreline Survey, including Data Sheets, can be found in the “Stream Team Resource Guide,” available on the Mass Riverways website: www.massriverways.org.

II. MID-STREAM SURVEY

The Mid-stream Survey is similar to the more basic Shoreline Survey, and is done from a canoe or kayak. Like the Shoreline Survey, it provides useful information on the conditions of waterways, such as flow levels, habitat change, and the presence or absence of pollution, trash and invasive species.

Because of the ability to observe both river banks from the water, the Mid-stream Survey can potentially provide more thorough information on stream and streamside conditions. We also recommend volunteers attempt to do the Mid-stream Survey three times a year—once each season excluding winter. This allows for observing the varying conditions of water flow and foliage that occur throughout the year.

The indoor training session for the Mid-stream Survey is generally done together with the Shoreline Survey training, followed by a separate outdoor session on the water. Volunteers must follow all applicable water safety rules. When appropriate, a trained volunteer can be paired with an un-trained volunteer for an outdoor survey session on the water.

See the Shoreline Survey section above for more information, and contact the MRWC to begin your survey work.

III. STREAM CONTINUITY (CULVERT) SURVEY

The Stream Continuity Survey, also known as the Culvert Survey, was designed so volunteers could examine road crossings that pass over streams, creeks and rivers, to determine whether there is any obstacle to the passage of fish and other wildlife. It can be done alone or with others along a designated stretch of water.

The Waterwatch Partnership based at UMass coordinates this program on a statewide basis, and maintains a database of all survey information. They can identify all road crossings and culvert locations along a given stretch of water. Several Culvert Surveys have been done by volunteers in the Millers River watershed the past few years

The MRWC also provides field training and the required data sheets for interested volunteers. Sturdy footwear is suggested, and some culvert locations may require a short climb. Volunteers have most recently been surveying dozens of culverts in Erving and Templeton.

For more details on the Culvert Survey, including guidance from the Waterwatch Partnership, go to the following website: www.streamcontinuity.org. Contact the MRWC to get started.

IV. PHOTO-DOCUMENTATION SURVEY

This is a new project organized by the MRWC and partner organizations. The purpose of the Photo-Documentation (PD) Survey is to create a lasting visual record of current conditions and future changes at key sites throughout the watershed. Volunteers may suggest their own site, or choose a pre-selected site to “adopt.”

Changes to waters bodies (rivers, streams, lakes, vernal pools) and landscapes, whether gradual or dramatic, result from natural processes such as succession, natural events such as storms and floods, and land use changes or other human causes. The PD Survey method uses digital photography to take literal “snap shots” in time. Each site is photographed at the same exact spot four times every year. Sites may be disturbed or undisturbed, water or land-based.

To consistently photograph the same views of a site, season after season, the volunteer must be able to identify the precise location for placing the camera tripod and position the camera at precise compass angles. Digital cameras can be loaned to anyone who needs one. Training in the use of a digital camera and the ability to orient a camera according to the cardinal points of a compass will be provided to interested volunteers.

Acceptable PD Survey sites must meet the following criteria:

1. Have an identifiable physical location (a street address is helpful).
2. Be accessible year round (four seasons).
3. Contain some special feature or be of special concern.
4. Include a relatively flat area with good visibility of the features to be recorded (exceptions may be made for important sites that do not have a suitable flat area.)

Because of the limited resources of state agencies, the MRWC now conducts an annual round of Benthic Macroinvertebrate (BMI) water quality monitoring, expanding and complementing ongoing efforts to identify problem areas and help prioritize protective measures. Backed by a Quality Assurance and Protection Plan (QAPP) approved by the Mass Department of Environmental Protection, trained volunteers scrape the undersides of rocks found in riffle habitat to dislodge the critters, like caddisfly and mayfly larvae, which are excellent indicators of water quality.

In the fall of 2006 eight sites were sampled: The mainstem of the Millers River near its confluence with the Connecticut River in Erving/Turners Falls, and seven tributaries on which the MassDEP lacked biological water quality data. An upstream reach of Lawrence Brook in Royalston was the reference site against which the other sites were ultimately rated on the health and diversity of their macroinvertebrate populations. Seven of the eight sites were rated unimpaired (high quality), with Lake Rohunta’s outlet stream being rated as borderline mild/moderately impaired. The other tributaries sampled, running from west to east, were: Mormon Hollow Brook in Wendell, Keyup Brook in Erving, Whetstone Brook in Wendell, Moss Brook in Orange and Orcutt Brook in Orange. The MRWC is now exploring ways to work with local residents and officials to reduce the level of water quality impairment at Lake Rohunta.

12 sites were sampled in the fall of 2007, including the Millers mainstem and Lawrence Brook reference site from the previous year. Most of the additional sites were in the Otter River basin, which suffers from the highest level of development and impairment in the Millers River watershed. Additional sites included the Millers River at Farley Bridge in Erving, the North Branch of the Millers River in Winchendon, West Brook in Athol, Beaver brook in Templeton, and the Otter River at five locations—up and down stream of the Templeton Wastewater Treatment Plant and Seaman Paper Company in Templeton, and on the Gardner/Templeton border. Results will be available in the spring of 2008.

VI. HYDROLAB SAMPLING

The MRWC’s newest monitoring program involves the use of a portable device that gives rapid readings of several water quality parameters: pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity (for identifying metals) and turbidity (for identifying sediment). Six sites in the Otter River watershed will be sampled monthly during the year as part of the Otter River Initiative, with the possible addition of other sites. Note: The Hydrolab requires extensive technical training.

VII. ACID RAIN SAMPLING

As part of the long-term Acid Rain Monitoring (ARM) Study conducted by the UMass Waterwatch Partnership, volunteers have been collecting water samples twice a year at four permanent locations in Royalston.

VIII. PERSONAL TEST KIT SAMPLING

The MRWC loans out easy to use test kits that sample for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity (clarity). All results are determined on the spot using visual/color markers. So far about 2 dozen sites have been sampled by volunteers across the watershed. These tests can be performed by youth with adult supervision.

EDUCATION & OUTREACH

● Envirsocape model: The MRWC is committed to educating citizens of all ages about the importance of protecting our waterways, landscapes and drinking water sources. In 2007, around 850 students of all ages at schools throughout the watershed attended interactive presentations featuring the 3-D Enviroscape Watershed/Non-Point Source Pollution model, an award-winning learning kit.

2008 presentations will focus on schools and adult populations within the towns of the Otter River: Templeton, Winchendon and the City of Gardner. A Groundwater model kit that fits the Watershed model is now available for use. CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE A PRESENTATION IN YOUR COMMUNITY!

● Watershed Roundtable: A MassDEP presentation on Water Quality in the Millers River watershed was the highlight of a July 19, 2007 roundtable that assembled two dozen town officials, residents, conservation groups and environmental agencies to share information. Future roundtables are planned.

● Wastewater Discharge Permit Workshop: With National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permits up for renewal in 2008 at industrial and municipal facilities in Gardner, Athol, Erving (3 plants), Templeton and Royalston, a public workshop was held November 19, 2007 with Mass Riverways staff to educate residents and officials about the permit process and opportunities for public comment.

● Low Impact Development (LID): To highlight the growing need for smart, cost-effectivee project design that protects open space and manages stormwater to minimize water pollution, MRWC’s 2006 Annual Meeting featured an introductory LID presentation by the innovative Horsley Witten Group. This was followed at the 2007 Annual Meeting with a presentation to town officials and residents by Kimberly McPhee of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, showcasing the LID features of the new Orange Riverfront Park. In 2008, the MRWC joined Winchendon’s newly formed LID Bylaw Committee, which is working with the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition to present a bylaw before town voters later in the year.

● Advocacy: In response to a Winchendon resident’s complaint, an ongoing MRWC investigation of a potentially hazardous dump site on Webster Street was completed after a fact-finding meeting with town officials, technical consultants and neighborhood residents proved the risk to public health and local waterways to be negligible.

RECREATION

● Paddles: 22 kayakers joined a June 23rd, 2007 paddle from the Otter River in Baldwinville (Templeton) to Birch Hill Dam on the Millers River in Royalston.

● Hikes: On October 21st, 2007, 12 people hiked the River Trail along the Millers River in the Birch Hill Dam Recreation Area, with stops at natural and cultural sites like King Phillip Rock.