Lexington launches volunteer water quality monitoring program to test local creeks

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – The City of Lexington is inviting the community to get hands-on with protecting local waterways through its Water Quality Monitoring Program, giving volunteers the chance to help track the health of area creeks.

City leaders say the program will allow residents to collect water samples alongside trained staff and environmental professionals, helping monitor conditions across several Fayette County watersheds.

Volunteers who want to take part must attend a required training session scheduled for Thursday, February 26, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Wastewater Treatment Plant on Jimmie Campbell Drive. After training, participants will join city staff in visiting designated sites to collect and test samples.

Bailee Young with Lexington’s Division of Water Quality says the program is especially important in urban areas, where runoff can carry pollutants into streams.

“It’s really important in urban locations that we’re not having runoff catch pollutants and enter the streams and affect macroinvertebrate health, fish health, whether we can swim or engage with the streams and creeks, and so it’s really important for us to know where we stand and what we can be doing better,” Young said.

Officials say the monitoring effort will focus on seven urban watersheds across Fayette County over the next five years. Once trained, volunteers will be invited to participate in quarterly monitoring events scheduled for March, May, August, and October.

City leaders hope the program will not only provide valuable environmental data but also help residents better understand how everyday actions impact local water quality.