Palo residents seek help in water monitoring post-flood

       IOWATER, Iowa's statewide volunteer water quality monitoring program, will host a workshop at the Cedar River Garden Center, located at 2889 Palo Marsh Rd, Palo, on Wednesday, November 11, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.  In response to the severe flooding of Palo in 2008, the Linn and Benton Soil and Water Conservation Districts and a committee of Palo residents were awarded a watershed planning grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Volunteers don't necessarily have to monitor water in Palo, but it is hoped that people trained at this workshop will be able to support that planning grant.

    During the one-day workshop classroom instruction will be combined with hands-on training as participants learn how to monitor and assess the quality of their local streams, rivers, and lakes.

    IOWATER emphasizes a perspective based on the “watershed,” or the area of land that drains into a body of water. As workshop participants will learn, much of the trash, chemicals and other materials used on the land will eventually end up in the water.

    Water quality monitoring includes physical, chemical, biological, and habitat assessments. Physical assessments document the physical attributes of a waterbody, such as temperature and water clarity. Chemical testing includes pH, nitrogen, phosphate, chloride and dissolved oxygen monitoring. Biological monitoring includes identification of “benthic macroinvertebrates,” or organisms that live in streams, rivers, and lakes. Habitat assessments can be used to document the suitability of water bodies to sustain aquatic life. 

     If they choose to do so, volunteers may submit their data to an online database via the IOWATER website, www.iowater.net. Anyone can view data submitted by volunteers, but only certified IOWATER volunteers can enter data.

     Workshop registration fees are $25 per person or $35 for a team and cover all program fees, meals, and testing equipment. If possible, registrations should be received by 5:00, Tuesday, November 10, although walk-ins are also welcome.

     For more information or to register, please contact Mary Hepker at the Linn Soil and Water Conservation District, 377-5960, extension 3, or e–mail at

mary.hepker@ia.nacdnet.net