The Whys and Hows of Pathogen Monitoring

BY JESSICA BONAMUSA

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYST II ~ INTERSTATE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION

Volunteer Training Sessions

Wednesday May 11 (virtual) 6:30PM to 7:30PM

Thursday May 12 (in person) at Rahway Yacht Club, 2PM to 4PM

Why Monitor?

Estuaries (the meeting of salt and fresh water) are critically important

◦ Recreational access points

◦ Fish and aquatic breeding grounds

◦ Also vital for shipping industries and commerce

Monitoring helps:

◦ Understand baseline data for the estuary

◦ Identify potential pollution sources: “hotspots”

◦ Increase education

◦ Engage citizens to be stewards of local waterways

◦ Better manage our coastal areas

What are the Parameters We Monitor?

In situ parameters:

◦ Dissolved Oxygen

◦ Conductivity/Salinity

◦ Temperature

◦ pH Laboratory Analysis

◦ Fecal Coliform

◦ Enterococcus

*** Important***

Volunteers need to be available Thursday Mornings starting on June 2nd for 18 weeks. They don't have to commit to every week. A sign up sheet will be available so volunteers can choose which weeks they monitor based on their availability. Volunteers will drop samples off at a fixed time and location every week (TBD).