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photo
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Georgia
Adopt-A-Stream |
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The
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream
(AAS) Program is a statewide water quality monitoring program in which volunteers conduct visual assessments,
biological sampling, and chemical testing of the state's river
basins and watersheds. The data
collected is then used by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division
(EPD) and other agencies.
Hotlanta
Adventures' stream
Hotlanta
Adventures has adopted a stream as part of our commitment to
participate in activities that support environmental stewardship. Our stream is
on the north fork of Peachtree Creek which is part of the Upper Chattahoochee
River watershed. The segment we have adopted runs mostly between and parallel to
I-85 and Buford Highway in DeKalb County south of Clairmont Road.
As the participation in our project grows, we would like to add
additional streams to our AAS monitoring program.
We
have members participate in training to become Quality
Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Certified from the Georgia AAS for
both Biological and Chemical monitoring. This ensures that our data
collected is under the QA/QC quality assurance plan so that it can
be used by local, state, and federal agencies to assess the water
quality conditions of our stream.
Community
AAS Training Workshops
We
started the Hotlanta
Adventures Adopt-A-Stream Program of Metro Atlanta
to provide workshop trainings, monitor participation, and
outreach/education of the AAS program.
Through this program, we are organizing/hosting
AAS workshops for Chemical and/or Biological monitoring QA/QC
certification. These workshops are co-hosted and presented through
the AAS programs of the City
of Atlanta, Cobb
County, DeKalb
County, Fulton
County, and Gwinnett
County, in addition to the State AAS office.
These workshops
are open to the the general public for both residents and
non-residents these municipalities. Workshops contain both
classroom time and outdoor hands-on training at a stream. We plan
to offer these trainings on a regular basis, about every two months, alternating
between Chemical and Biological Workshops. We would like to thank
REI's Atlanta Store for providing our classroom meeting space. Our next
workshop will be:
TRAINING:
Biological Monitoring
DATE:
[TBA] Fall 2007
TIME: 9:30am -
1:30/2:30pm (with a lunch break)
LOCATION: REI Atlanta, 1800
Northeast Expy NE, Atlanta 30329 · 404-633-6508 (directions only)
[Google Maps
- Yahoo! Maps
- MapQuest]
COST: Free
REGISTRATION or MORE INFO:
Please use the Form below or call 404-OUTDOOR (404-688-3667).
PRIOR
EVENT:
TRAINING: Chemical Monitoring
DATE:
Saturday, January 27, 2007
TIME: 10:00am -
2:00/3:00pm
(with a lunch break)
LOCATION: REI Atlanta, 1800
Northeast Expy NE, Atlanta 30329 · 404-633-6508 (directions only)
[Google Maps
- Yahoo! Maps
- MapQuest]
COST: Free
REGISTRATION or MORE INFO:
Please use the Form below or call 404-OUTDOOR (404-688-3667).
If
you would like to receive updates on future AAS workshop trainings
sponsored by Hotlanta Adventures, please fill out the form
below.
Community
AAS Monitoring Participation/Volunteering
Interested
in learning more about the AAS water monitoring process? The
Hotlanta Adventures AAS monitorings are open to
anyone who would like to learn more about the AAS program or
participate hands-on with our water monitoring, testing, and data collection
process. We are also in need of regular volunteers to help with
our AAS project. Georgia AAS guidelines do not require
certification to participate in the monitoring process as long as
there is one QA/QC volunteer overseeing the process.
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BASIC
OVERVIEW OF THE
GEORGIA ADOPT-A-STREAM PROGRAM
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GOALS
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Increase public awareness of the state's nonpoint source pollution
and water quality issues
•
Provide citizens with the tools and training to evaluate and
protect their local waterways
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Encourage partnerships between citizens and their local government
•
Collect quality baseline water quality data
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photo
courtesy of Ga. Adopt-A-Stream |
IMPLEMENTATION
OF OUR GOALS
•
Registration of our stream with the Georgia
Adopt-A-Stream Program
•
Notify our local government
•
Identify our watershed address
•
Develop a "Who To Call for Problems List"
•
Conduct at least one cleanup each year
•
Conduct at least one outreach activity each year
•
Watershed Survey and Map Assessment by mapping our
watershed and conducting a comprehensive survey of the land uses,
potential and actual pollution sources, geography and history of
your water body and its watershed.
Why:
Getting to know our watershed is the first step to understanding
our adopted stream, wetland or lake. The health of our adopted water body is
directly impacted by land uses and activities.
Frequency:
Yearly
•
Visual Stream Monitoring by visual and physical
evaluation of the stream conditions.
Why:
Most of the critical water pollutants and habitat damage can be
detected through the visual survey, i.e. sedimentation, erosion,
excessive nutrients.
Frequency:
Quarterly or once every season
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Biological Monitoring by taking an inventory of
aquatic macroinvertebrates (insects, crustaceans, worms, and
mollusks) in the stream.
Why:
The diversity of macroinvertebrates found indicate the overall
health of the stream. The presence of macroinvertebrates indicate
both water and habitat quality.
There
are 24 different macroinvertebrates generally found in healthy
Georgia streams, with some being more sensitive to pollution than
others.
Frequency:
Quarterly or once every season
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photo
courtesy of Ga. Adopt-A-Stream |
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Chemical Monitoring by conducting the basic tests
for levels of pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and settleable solids.
Advanced tests include identifying phosphates, nitrates, ammonia,
alkalinity, and conductivity levels in the stream.
Why:
Dissolved
oxygen is needed to for aquatic respiration and the pH measures
the
Water
temperature is directly related
to biological activity which affects the feeding, metabolism, and
reproduction of aquatic fauna.
Phosphates and nitrates are nutrients when present in
excess may
lead to increased plant growth such as
algal blooms which
depletes oxygen.
Large
sediments in excess can block sunlight and block the gills of
aquatic animals and leads to erosion. Sediments, which is the
largest source of pollution of streams and rivers in Georgia, can
also carry harmful bacteria, metals, and excess nutrients, which
upsets the natural balance of aquatic life.
Frequency:
Monthly
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Citizen Riparian Network provides trend monitoring
which includes valuable specific and general water quality
information. Our pinpointing of the problems affecting your
stream, now what do you do? Corridors, the Citizen Riparian
Network, provides hands-on, real life options for citizen action
and activities to make a difference in the health of their adopted
stream, river, lake or wetland.
The
Georgia AAS Program is part of the NonPoint Source Program in the
Water Protection Branch of the Environmental Protection Division
(EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to monitor the
water quality of the state's river basins and watersheds. The are
over 14,000 volunteers with 712 groups, monitoring 707 sites in
the state. For
more information about the Georgia
Adopt-A-Stream program, visit the state AAS program's website.
Getting
Started with Georgia Adopt-A-Stream
Conducting Watershed Survey, Map Assessment, and Visual
Stream Survey - 4 hours
This
workshop is based on the manual Getting To Know Your Watershed.
Volunteers learn about the process of registering the stream,
wetland or lake that they will monitor. Then volunteers learn
how to use maps to delineate and assess their watershed. Land
use and impervious surface is discussed as it pertains to the
watershed survey data forms. The second half of the workshop is
spent at a stream conducting the visual stream survey and
learning how to do a stream cross-section and calculate flow.
This workshop is highly recommended.
Chemical
Monitoring Workshop for Quality Assurance
Chemical Monitoring - 2.5 hours (plus a 1.5 hour
introduction to the program)
The
Chemical Monitoring workshop is designed to teach volunteers
about basic stream water chemistry and how to conduct the
chemical tests using hand-held field equipment. The basic set of
tests that volunteers are asked to conduct includes dissolved
oxygen, settleable solids, pH, and temperature. Advanced tests
include alkalinity, phosphate and nitrate-nitrogen. Volunteers
are given a field test and written test to assess their ability
to collect accurate and precise data. Volunteers who collect
data within 10% accuracy and pass the written test with a score
of 80% or better will be considered a QA/QC volunteer for one
year.
Biological
Monitoring Workshop for Quality Assurance
Biological Monitoring - 5 hours
Learn
how to sample the biological diversity of a stream! The
macroinvertebrates (insects, snails & other critters) found
in a stream are excellent indicators of the condition of both
water quality and habitat. This workshop will focus on
collection techniques for either rocky or muddy bottom streams
and macroinvertebrate identification. A quality assurance test
is available at the end of the workshop for those who wish to
test their skills. Volunteers who identify the
macroinvertebrates with 90% accuracy and pass the written test
with a score of 80% or better will be considered a QA/QC
volunteer for one year.
*SDU
credit available to teachers if all three sections are completed
**Most
AAS workshops combine Getting Started and Chemical workshops.
The Introduction is then shortened to 1.5 hour
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