Benthic

Benthic Monitoring is the study of the critters that live on the bottom of the stream.
Their health determines the health of the stream. Their numbers and diversity also
help determine how healthy a stream is.

Below is a series of videos done in Loudon County, Va, showing the Benthic process
certified from VA Save our Streams. You can see how the Benthic Monitoring works
and if this looks like something you are interested in doing with us, give us at
call at 540-459-8550.

To learn more about Benthic Monitoring and Benthic critters and who
they really are check out these sites.

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/benthosclean.html

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/streams/pubs/freshwater.html

E. Coli and Benthics Project Scope

http://people.virginia.edu/%7Esos-iwla/Stream-Study/Stream
StudyHomePage/StreamStudy.HTML

What is a TMDL?

The Clean Water Act requires that states conduct monitoring to identily polluted waters
and those that do not meet standards. Through this required program, the state of VA
has found that many streams do not meet state water quality standards for the five
beneficial uses: fishing, swimming, shellfish, aquatic life and drinking. Then streams fail
to meet standards they are placed on the state's impaired waters list, and the state
must develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for each polllutant. Essentially a
 "pollution budget" for a stream. That is, it sets limits on the amount of pollution that
a stream can tolerate and still maintain water quality standards.

Smith Creek is in Shenandoah County, Va and below is the information of the ongoing TMDL on that stream.

Water Quality Monitoring

Surface Water

http://www.fosr.org/data/

Volunteer Citizen Water Monitors take water samples at designated sampling sites from Port Republic, VA, to Harper's Ferry, WV, on a biweekly basis. These samples are analyzed in FOSR’s laboratory and problems are reported to the proper authorities. Data is being collected to help characterize the river and track its progress. The volunteer citizen water monitors donate their time and energy to support this extensive effort and to help protect and restore the aquatic environment of the Shenandoah River.

FNFSR currently has 25 monitors and have been sampling the river since 1988. If you are interested in becoming a water monitor please contact us at 540-459-8550 or at friends@shentel.net.

2009 Monitoring Dates