Monitoring the health of our waterways is an essential part of effective stewardship and conservation. WATR teams regularly monitor the tributaries of the Tuckasegee watershed. Join us to protect your watershed!
Citizen Scientist Teams – Join us to monitor across our watershed.
Our nation’s fresh water system is so vast that EPA strongly urges “citizen scientists” to track and report water quality. There is no prior experience needed to be a citizen scientist. Over time, we will look to these members for support of reasonable regulations and effective enforcement, because they are on the front lines and have inside knowledge of the watershed.
Swim Guide
The Swim Guide provides information on E. Coli and sediment levels, to help you choose locations to swim, paddle, fish, and play in the water. During the summer recreation season (Memorial Day to Labor Day), WATR volunteers collect weekly samples at 17 sites in Jackson and Swain Counties.
For more information on the program and a full list of sites in the Tuckasegee watershed, check out our Swim Guide page.
VWIN Monitoring Team
The Volunteer Water Information Network (VWIN) is a volunteer-based monitoring program that began in 1990 and tracks water quality at rivers, streams, and lakes across Western North Carolina.
WATR volunteers take monthly samples at 12 sites, and sample an additional 8 sites quarterly. Our partners at the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) lab in Black Mountain test each sample for 8 parameters (ammonia, nitrates/nitrites, orthophosphates, turbidity, total suspended solids, conductivity, alkalinity, and pH). WATR was part of the program from 2003-2011, and restarted our program in 2022, so this data provides an important picture of water quality over time. It allows us to identify potential issues that might otherwise go unnoticed
Resources:
- Map of VWIN Sites
- Learn more about VWIN and the Environmental Quality Institute.
- Contact us if you are interested in participating
SMIE Macroinvertebrate Sampling Team
WATR holds trainings for members who have a curiosity about aquatic ecology and an eagerness to help characterize our water quality. The types and numbers of aquatic insects in a creek can provide a good indication of the pollution status of that creek. Contact us if you are interested.
Fish Sampling Team
We collected fish samples each season to gauge the health of the fish population. Sampling events are “on the job training” and a great experience. No prior training required, just enthusiasm and a willingness to work in the creek! Contact us if you are interested.
Sources and Conveyances Information Tracking (SCITS) Monitoring Team
Sources and Conveyances Information Tracking (SCITS) is the first three-part program developed by the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (DWR) with a robust instructional methodology developed to assess, describe, and map sources of erosion/sediment and other pollutant threats to our streams. In plain English – SCITS is all about finding and stopping erosion and sedimentation sources in our Tuckasegee watershed. If you are an angler, you know that when it rains hard here, the Tuck quickly turns chocolate brown or muddy orange-brown, with heavy sediment runoff that chokes aquatic life (think trout) and makes it impossible to fish.
WATR was the first of only two watershed organizations in Western North Carolina to implement this pilot program in our watershed. This is a huge deal, made possible only because of the expertise, long-time experience, and relationships of WATR’s Executive Director, Ken Brown.
The three-part program:
- SCITS data is assessed and developed by the waterway.
- Data uncovering serious problems then enters the second part of the program called Watershed Improvements Project Tracker (WIPS).
- The data then is used to develop Watershed Action Plans (WAPS) that are submitted for funding opportunities to enhance and protect the waterway in question.
WATR is leading the monitoring of no less than twelve sub-watersheds! These tributary rivers, creeks, and streams will use this SCITS technology to assess threats and seek funding for improving water quality and riparian buffers, benefiting all levels of the ecosystem, including human health and recreation.