Greene SWCD

Water Quality Monitoring

The district began monitoring major rivers and streams when volunteer monitoring by the Des Moines Water Works indicated high nitrate levels in the Raccoon River to an area in Greene County known as Buttrick Creek.

The District collected ten Earth Team volunteers to test not only the Buttrick Creek area but the major rivers and streams throughout the county (nineteen sites) on a weekly basis the past tree years. These men and women of all ages were trained in a uniform collection process and they bring the water sample from a designated stream to the Greene SWCD office each week.

Click here to see a chart showing the results of nitrate levels in Greene County streams in 2003. The latter three months sampled were abnormally dry. Tile was no longer running and streams flows were extremely low.

		1703 N Elm Street Jefferson, IA 50129 Ph: 515-386-3817 Fax: 515-386-4328

	Water Quality Monitoring The district began monitoring major rivers and streams when volunteer monitoring by the Des Moines Water Works indicated high nitrate levels in the Raccoon River to an area in Greene County known as Buttrick Creek. The District collected ten Earth Team volunteers to test not only the Buttrick Creek area but the major rivers and streams throughout the county (nineteen sites) on a weekly basis the past tree years. These men and women of all ages were trained in a uniform collection process and they bring the water sample from a designated stream to the Greene SWCD office each week. Click here to see a chart showing the results of nitrate levels in Greene County streams in 2003. The latter three months sampled were abnormally dry. Tile was no longer running and streams flows were extremely low.

District employee, Mike Tighe tests the samples using a spectrophotometer that has been properly calibrated. These results will be evaluated at the end of this project. Below are pictures of Mike as he uses the spectrophotometer to sample for nitrates after pumping water through a filter to remove all fine particles. Cal Woods of KDSM TV News interviewed Mike January 14, 2003 about his water testing procedures. In the picture below is the camera man as he follows Mike to observie water sampling.