Did you know that August is Water Quality Month? The work the we do at ESC is entirely in service to our natural resources, including water! Our services include green storm water infrastructure, as well as native landscape design and installation that reduces or even eliminates the need for irrigation, supplemental feeding, and herbicide, all of which can negatively affect our shared waterways.
In addition to our regular work, our staff is a proud member of the Colorado River Watch Network, a volunteer citizen water monitoring program!
Jonathan Greiner, ESC’s Office Manager, prepares the monitoring kit prior to sampling.
ESC first began monitoring in Central Austin at Seiders Springs (near 38th and Shoal Creek) several years ago and has trained many of our interested staff members. Volunteer monitors note the site conditions like the cloud cover, clarity, color, and smell of the water, and also more quantitative measurements, like temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen. Each monitoring event takes about two hours, depending on your focus and familiarity with the process. But fret not, curious friends, there are instructions with each kit and each volunteer is trained by an experience monitor. Once you have all your data collected, you update it on the website and so that the whole world can see it here on this map!
Jonathan collects our water sample using a simple bucket tied to a rope.
If you would like to become a volunteer water quality monitor, you can find out more here!