Community Creek Water Testing
Our monthly Community Creek Water Testing in partnership with Community Sciences Lab at Bard College, Department of Earth Science at Vassar College, Riverkeeper and Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries has started! We are happy to announce a new partnership with Environmental Studies program at Vassar College - they will process our samples for heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury!
Help us raise money to pay for the testing! We are about $1300 short of our target for 2025.
Please consider donating to help pay for the tests. We pay $75-125 per site per month. To test 7 sites for 6 months (May through October). Any amount counts! Suggested donations:
$500 - Big Fish, sponsor one site, 6 months of testing
$250 - Creek Eel, support one site, 3 months of testing
$100 - Trout Friend, help share the load
$0-99 - Sunfish, every drop counts
Donate safely with PayPal:
Seven sites along the creek from Madam Brett Park in Beacon to Tymor Park in Union Vale are getting tested for:
● Fecal Indicator Bacteria Analysis: Detection of Enterococcus and E. coli to assess microbial contamination in water sources.
● Fluorometry: Measuring fluorescence in water samples to detect organic compounds and algae presence.
● Inductively Coupled Plasma Analysis(ICP ): Detection and quantification of metals and trace elements in water samples.
● Ion Chromatography (IC): Preparation and filtration of water samples for accurate chemical testing followed by precise analysis of dissolved ions in water samples, including nitrates, sulfates, and chlorides.
● Turbidity Measurement: Assessing water clarity and sediment levels using advanced turbidity meters.
● Onsite water quality monitoring of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity, pH testing.
We need volunteers to help collect samples and transport them to Bard College for processing. Volunteers will be trained in safe water sample collection techniques. “Runners” will get a gas stipend.
Interested? Know someone who might? Register to sample here: https://slotted.co/fishkillsampling
Questions? Drop a line: fishkillwatershed@gmail.com
These are our sampling sites. Google map of all sites here.
1. Madam Brett Park, Beacon map
2. Upstream of Groveville Dam, The Gorge or Rocky Glen, Beacon map
3. Jean Van Pelt Park, Old Glenham map
4. Sarah Taylor Park, Town of Fishkill map
Our sampling locations in upper part of Fishkill Creek:
5. Tymor Park, Union Vale, map
6. "Trout spot" on Phillips Rd, Stormville map
7. Hopewell Beach, Hopewell Junction, map