State of the Water scheduled for October

HAYESVILLE, NC – Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (HRWC) initiated “The State of the Water” in 2012 to annually provide the public and local government leaders with updated information concerning water quality in local rivers, lakes, and streams. While the location of the meetings rotate to a different county each year, the information presented encompasses the four county region of the upper Hiwassee River watershed.

The 2018 State of the Water will be held on the shores of Lake Chatuge at the Hinton Rural Life Center retreat in Clay County. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation by the HRWC executive director on the “State of the Water” across the upper Hiwassee River watershed. Those in attendance will learn about the water quality in local rivers, lakes and streams, including an overview of recent samplings conducted in the watershed, most of which derived from sites sampled monthly by over 50 volunteers participating in HRWC’s Adopt-A-Stream volunteer monitoring program.

“We track all water quality and aquatic life data from all available sources,” Callie Moore, a veteran water scientist with HRWC, explained in 2017, “If you’re asking about our volunteer monitoring data parameters, here they are: water temperature, color, and clarity; dissolved oxygen; pH; conductivity (which lets us know when there’s excess sediment, high levels of nutrients or some other contaminant in the water); and E. coli (indicator of human pathogens).”

Following the presentation, Coalition staff members will provide an overview of projects they have been working on in various program areas, including monitoring, education, and restoration, with a summary of plans for the coming year. Participants will be asked to provide input into the work plans for 2019, and given an opportunity to help prioritize future work in the watershed.

There is no charge for admission, although donations are appreciated.

Refreshments will be served.

For additional information, including a link to directions and a map, visit: HRWC.net