Help needed for North Elkhorn Creek Watershed monitoring project in Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Water Quality is hosting a virtual training for new volunteers and staff members interested in participating in the Phase I North Elkhorn Watershed-Focused Monitoring Program.

The training will be hosted on Zoom on August 27 from 9-10 a.m.

After volunteers complete their training, they can participate in two sampling events this fall and up to 10 sampling events planned for next summer, as their schedules allow.

Details:

• Volunteers must be willing to conduct field visits to streams and stormwater outfalls in the North Elkhorn watershed to test water quality and to collect samples for follow-up laboratory analysis.
• Volunteers will need to provide their own boots/waders (appropriate for potentially wet/muddy conditions).
• The City will provide the sampling equipment for the volunteers’ use.
• City staff will conduct the laboratory analysis of the volunteer-collected samples, as well as offer professional support to volunteers during sampling events.
• Draft water quality data will be shared with volunteer monitors, so they will receive results and feedback on stream conditions in the area they have collected samples.
• This is a great opportunity for Lexington residents who want to explore our community’s creeks up close.

To register: Email abby.terry@tetratech.com to RSVP and receive the meeting link.

Contact Greg Lubeck with the Division of Water Quality (glubeck@lexingtonky.gov) or Ken Cooke with Kentucky River Watershed Watch (kywwp@igc.org) with questions about the program.