EASTHAMPTON – Volunteers are needed to collect water samples from the Manhan River this summer as part of a water quality monitoring project.
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Town of Southampton and the City of Easthampton are seeking volunteers to collect water samples from the Manhan River and its tributaries in those two communities. The sampling is part of a project funded by a $50,000 state grant that aims to determine the current level of E. coli bacteria contamination on the river.
State testing in 2003 and 2008 found the lower 6.2 miles of the Manhan River has consistently high levels of E. coli, making it unsafe for recreational uses such as swimming and boating.
The PVPC hopes this round of testing will allow for the identification and subsequent cleanup of bacterial contamination so the river can be used for recreation.
Volunteers will collect water samples on Tuesday mornings between 7 and 8:30 a.m. and drop them off at the Easthampton Municipal Building immediately afterward. The weekly sampling will begin July 12 and run through the summer, though there may be breaks depending on weather conditions.
The sample sites are located between the Manhan Meadows Conservation Area and the mouth of the Manhan River.
Volunteers must attend a training session at the Municipal Building from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 29.
For more information or to sign up to volunteer, contact PVPC Senior Planner Jaimye Bartak at 835-1942 or jbartak@pvpc.org.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com.