Our dedicated team of volunteers sampled 41 sites throughout the Neponset watershed, along the Neponset River and its many tributaries. The bacteria results for October are displayed in the map below.
To view the actual data, visit our water quality data results page.
Overall, E. coli levels were lower this month than we’ve seen in past months this year, and this is likely a result of cooler fall temperatures. The bacteria average for this month was 270 (MPN/100mL) compared to the September average of 638. This number exceeds the swimmable and boatable standards of 235 E. coli, however only the sites depicted in the map as orange and red were actually over this threshold.
True to the seemingly never-ending drought, samples were taken during “dry” weather conditions, meaning that the watershed received less than 0.05 inches of precipitation in the 48 hours leading up to sampling.
A big, heartfelt thank you to all of our volunteers as this CWMN season comes to a close. Be on the lookout for a post this winter that details the general results of the 2016 year.
If you have any questions about our data or the CWMN program, or if you would like to become a volunteer, please contact Meghan at meghan@neponset.org.
See you all in May for the kickoff of the 2017 season!
Meghan Rauber
Field Sampling Coordinator
December 2016
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