|
Water Quality Monitoring |
|
|
Citizen's Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) About our program: The
CEMP is a partnership among multiple organizations for the purpose of
coordinating citizen-based water quality monitoring and assessing waterbody
health in the Cook Inlet Basin. Wasilla SWCD began working with
local citizens in spring 2000 to monitor the waterways in our community.
We train and certify citizen volunteers to test the water quality using test
methods that have proven successful in For further information or to sign up for our next training, call our office at 357-4563 (ext.106). CEMP Partnership Priority Objectives: 1) Inventory baseline water quality data in the waterways of the Cook Inlet Basin. 2) Detect and report significant changes and track water quality trends. 3) Raise public awareness of the importance of water quality through hands-on involvement. Why monitor the water?: The Mat-Su Basin is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Associated with this growth includes:
Mat-Su area waterways support salmon and trout fisheries and provide significant recreational opportunities for the public. It is imperative that we monitor the effects of this development on water quality for the long-term sustainability of our community and watershed. Citizens, industry and resource managers rely on such data in order to make economically and environmentally sound decisions. View our water quality monitoring data by clicking here. Partners: We have partnered with several other organizations in implementing the CEMP. These include: Anchorage Waterways Council, Cook Inlet Keeper, Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Protection Agency, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Homer SWCD, Palmer SWCD, Upper Susitna SWCD, Wasilla SWCD, and UAA Environmental and Natural Resources Institute.
|
citizen-based monitoring programs
throughout the United States. The data collected is entered into a
DEC-maintained database and compared to