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On October 18, 2007, high school students and science teachers joined with representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2, the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI), and members of the NJ Americorps at a harbor-side outreach event to participate in hands-on water testing demonstrations. The event, held at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, celebrated the conclusion of the global month-long sampling period, which was kicked off on World Water Monitoring Day (September 18), by featuring the state’s various ongoing water monitoring programs.
Throughout the day, groups of students rotated between eight interactive stations that focused on ground water monitoring, marine water sampling, stream flow monitoring, estuarine waters chemical and sediment monitoring, lake and fish sampling, and freshwater biological monitoring. Students had opportunities to enter water data using laptop computers, use microscopes to examine aquatic insects, analyze waterbody maps and models, take dredge samples from the NY/NJ harbor off the back of a boat, sample a ground water well, conduct experiments, examine equipment, and observe marine creatures while interacting with experts and meeting other students.
This year the event was attended by students from the Montclair Kimberly Academy and North Arlington High School. The event was coordinated by DEP’s Water Monitoring and Standards and Environmental Education programs. Click here to see photos of some of the activities at the celebration.
New Jersey water monitoring efforts include 115 stations in the cooperative DEP/USGS rivers and streams chemical/physical network, over 800 sites in the state’s biological network, a 40 site per year lakes water quality network and over 2500 sites to evaluate marine water quality. New Jersey’s water monitoring event highlights the state’s ongoing commitment to understanding and improving water quality, and emphasizes the collaborative partnership among the four agencies involved to provide information to the public on the conditions of the state’s waters. DEP, USGS, EPA Region 2 and MERI are partners in the state’s 30-member NJ Water Monitoring Coordinating Council designed to enhance collaboration, communication and cooperation among those actively testing the quality and abundance of our water resources. Additional information on New Jersey’s water monitoring networks and results is available at www.state.nj.us/dep/wms.
For additional information, please contact Leslie McGeorge, Administrator
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