Delaware Nature Society

Technical Monitoring

Our Technical Monitoring program was established to supplement the State's monitoring efforts in other locations by providing reliable baseline values for several different physical and chemical parameters. Volunteers monitor assigned sites on a monthly basis, testing for dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, nitrates, phosphates, conductivity, salinity in tidal reaches, temperature, and flow. Quality control is ensured through additional procedures.

Technical Monitoring data has been collected at thirty locations within the Delaware portion of the Christina River Basin since 1995. The data from our program are being used by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) in their efforts to develop pollution control strategies for the Christina Basin.

The program also provides valuable volunteer-collected data is incorporated into a nonpoint source pollution water quality model used by DNREC and the US Geological Survey for the Delaware-Pennsylvania Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) effort for the Upper Christina Watershed.The Delaware Nature Society has analyzed and published this data in our watershed report series:

State of the Christina Basin Watershed (PDF)
State of the Brandywine Creek Watershed (PDF)
State of the Christina River Watershed (PDF)
State of the Red Clay Creek Watershed (PDF)
State of the White Clay Creek Watershed (PDF)

It's also published every two years as part of DNREC's Watershed Assessment Report (305(b)) ( 4.65 MB PDF file).

In 2003, The Delaware Nature Society was able to expand the Technical Monitoring program to the Mispillion Watershed and to the Appoquinimink Watershed in 2006. In cooperation with DNREC, five monitoring locations were established in each of these watersheds to assist with the TMDL effort.

Volunteers for our technical monitoring program range from high school students to retired chemists and beyond. If you are interested in becoming a technical monitor, please contact the Stream Watch program at 302-239-2334, extension 100 or E-mail us.

All of your training, equipment, and replacement testing chemicals are provided free of charge, and you will receive on-site training from Stream Watch staff the first time you monitor your site.

We're looking forward to your participation in our technical monitoring program!