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It’s been dry as a bone these days, but the Coastal Watershed Council is thinking ahead about that first rainfall of the wet season. This is something we are all surely looking forward to in this drought year, but the CWC is focused on a different benefit of this first rain. This event, aptly named First Flush, recruits adventurous volunteers to sample runoff from this first drench of the season. It’s a prime opportunity to measure the levels of pollution that have collected on the streets, driveways and other "non-point" sources, and which flow into nearby creeks, rivers and the Bay. Samples are sent to a lab to detect levels of nitrate, phosphate, metals and bacteria so we can get a heads up about the types of pollutants in our local waters.
Volunteers attend two training sessions in September so they are ready for the first raindrops to hit the ground with test kits in hand!
Classroom Training is on Wednesday, September 9, 6-8:30pm at City of Capitola Council Chambers (420 Capitola Ave).
"Dry Run" Training is on Saturday, September 12, 9am-12pm; Creekside Plaza Parking Lot, Soquel.
Contact Debbie Chirco-Macdonald at 831.464.9200 or djchirco@coastal-watershed.org to sign up today. For more details, click here.
Photo of San Lorenzo River after a heavy rain by Ed Sentner on Flickr.
