Gunpowder Riverkeeper joins the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative

On July 21st, Alexandra Fries at IAN, Shane Mizelle at USGS, and Becky Monahan at MDE conducted a tidal water quality and bacteria monitoring field and lab audits for Gunpowder Riverkeeper. The Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative recently incorporated bacteria monitoring in its protocols and several groups in Maryland are collecting high quality bacteria data that is now approved as Tier III. Theaux Gardeur, the Gunpowder Riverkeeper, and Brady Bayne, the Chesapeake Conservation & Climate Corps Member and Outreach Specialist, took Shane and Alex out on their boat to see the water quality monitoring process. Afterward, they met up with Becky to see the bacteria process in the field and lab. The Gunpowder Riverkeeper uses these data to defend the Gunpowder, Bush, and Middle River watersheds from environmental threats and inform local communities about river conditions.