2010 Water Quality Monitoring Report Now Available

The French River Connection's Water Quality Monitoring Report for 2010 is now available, along with an interactive google map with pop-up summary information on each site.

In general the year was characterized by historically low flows. In addition, the duration of highest water temperatures was longer than previously seen. These factors combined to produce low dissolved oxygen levels, occurring at more sites, at lower levels, for longer durations. There were twelve instances where state dissolved oxygen standards were not met. Similarly, conductivity was generally higher than in previous years, with particularly high levels at the Stateline, Commerce Parking Lot, both Mill Brook, Nancy Drive, and Old Mill Brook sites. There were 22 instances where state pH standards were not met. These occurred during high flow in March and April as well as during the warm months.

High nutrient levels were observed at the Stateline site, below the wastewater treatment plant.

We monitored during a storm in May and found slightly elevated turbidity throughout the watershed, measurable but not visually noticeable. However, the Potash Brook, Commerce Parking Lot, Mill Brook Webster Nursery, and Old Mill Brook sites were murky and exhibited mid-double-digit turbidity values, clearly carrying a sediment load. There were also instances of warm weather turbidity, with values in the low double digits at the Packard Pond, both Mill Brook, and Old Mill Brook sites. This has rarely been seen.

Other observations include:

In August, a beaver dam was started at the Mill Brook Bigelow Road site. At the end of our season, it was two feet high and its fate is under consideration by the town.

In the spring, we continued to observe that snow and sand has been pushed into the Commerce Parking Lot storm drain

From July on, flow was so low that a volunteer had to climb into the chasm that is the Low Pond outflow. It’s not unusual to have to do this a couple of times, but not five.

Potash Brook was dry on two occasions, and Packard Pond outflow was on one occasion not flowing enough to collect nutrient samples. Although flowing, Nancy Drive brook was once too shallow to sink the TROLL.

There is roadside trash accumulating around many sites, but only the Low Pond outflow is being used as a dumpsite for larger objects.

It continues to be striking how high individual temperatures found with the HOBOs can be, compared to the monthly collection of TROLL data taken in the morning, on days which may not be particularly hot.

Record high conductivity and the presence of oil slicks at the Mill Brook Webster Nursery site may indicate a developing problem. Cranston Print Works has ceased industrial activity there, and perhaps a problem which would have previously been seen is escaping notice.

Many thanks to our wonderful volunteers who made this work possible.

2010 Water Quality Monitoring Campaign Ends

November 6 marked the last day of our 9 month water quality monitoring season. This year 21 volunteers took part, more than half of them for the first time.

The summer months were marked by an extended period of very low flow, with daily levels from mid-July until the end of September often ranking as the lowest recorded at the Webster USGS gauge for the date over many decades of operation. Low flows and high temperatures combined to reduce dissolved oxygen levels, and when the data is analyzed we expect we expect to see deeper and more extended summertime lows than we have seen since we began monitoring six years ago.

Sign of the Times

Work as been proceeding on French River Park, with trees removed, the area leveled, water installed, and the parking lot ready for paving. On November 3, the required project sign was installed.

Ground Broken for French River Park

On October 13, ground was broken for French River Park, a 1.66 acre parcel in downtown Webster intended to anchor the Webster Riverwalk portion of the French River Greenway, with completion is planned for early summer 2011.

Features of the 1.66 acre park include accessible walking paths, picnic tables and benches, site lighting, a canoe/kayak launch, and water and power to support community events. There will be 23 parking spaces, and a bike rack. The shoreline will be stabilized and rain gardens installed for stormwater management. Plantings will consist of indigenous species appropriate to the river corridor. See an image of the plan here.

The Town of Webster and the French River Connection jointly hold a 15 year lease on the property.

Troop 147 Completes Leovich Landing

On September 25, members of Oxford Boy Scout Troop 147 and family members gathered at 52 Dudley Road in Oxford, to complete work on the Leovich Landing project where a canoe/kayak launch was installed earlier in the year. The work is the Eagle project of scout Josh Escobar. It included leveling the parking lot, planting junipers and daffodils at the entrance, construction of a fence, preparation of a picnic area, and installation of a new sign. More than fifty people took part in the event.

Leovich Landing was purchased in 2009 by the Dudley Conservation Land Trust. Troop 147 joined a collaboration of the Land Trust, the French River Connection, the Last Green Valley, the town of Oxford, and the Army Corps of Engineers to complete the work. Many local businesses and volunteers provided funding, materials and services to make the project a success.Among them are Ron Rheault Construction, Sam Hicks Paving, Bonsal American, J.S. Lane Asphalt and Gravel companies, Robbins Garden Center, and Wal-Mart

French River Park Project Moves Ahead

The French River adjacent the French River Park site is the home of Triangle Floater and Creeper mussels, listed by the state as species of special concern. In order to protect them, we are required to move any we can find upstream prior to starting construction. Above, mussel scientist Sean Werle is on the hunt. It was not expected that many would be found because mussels had been translocated from this area several years ago prior to a remediation project on the opposite bank, and that proved to be the case.

The construction contract for the park was won by Webster contractor Henry Ceppetelli. With the mussel project completed, we can look forward to an October start on the park, with completion in Spring 2011.

Water Temperature Logging Ends For the Season

Since May, four temperature data loggers have been patiently recording the temperature of the French River every 15 minutes, awaiting cooler weather and a chance to rest. After more than 11000 recordings each, the loggers were rescued September 16. The record of their findings is shown above, located at Clara Barton Road, Dudley Road, Harwood Street, and Brandon Road. The temperatures were generally higher upstream, touching nearly 90 F on one occasion at Clara Barton Road. Both that location and Dudley Road showed 7-day rolling average maximums above 83F for several days, exceeding the state standards for a warm water fishery.

Our TROLL and colorimeter data collection continues until November, with flow rates. remaining at historic lows.