Erick Burres of the State Water Resources Control Board explains proper use of equipment to the Stream Team

Erick Burres demonstrates the proper use of a Whirl-pak for taking water samples.

Careful training is important to the success of water quality testing.

Stream Team member Angelica Garza takes a reading of dissolved oxygen from Flint Canyon Wash

February 15, 2006 -- On the day after Valentine's day, six intrepid volunteers met at the casting pond in Pasadena's Lower Arroyo Park. They huddled together on the cool, overcast morning around coolers and bags of equipment. They had a mission, they had a job to do. These members of the Arroyo Seco Stream Team were going to spend their morning and part of the afternoon gathering water quality samples and collecting other information about the water in the Arroyo.

After an introduction by Erick Burres, coordinator of California's citizen monitoring program, two teams headed out to conduct the monitoring. Eight sites along the Arroyo were selected for sampling. At each of these sites specific measurements were taken. Tests were performed to measure: air and water temperature, dissolved oxygen content, Ph, and total dissolved solids. A sample of water was also collected at each site, for later analysis at a lab.

It is hoped that continued testing of the Arroyo will lead to a better understanding of water quality issues and also methods to solve problems. Meaningful information was collected and the Stream Team volunteers got to spend the day in the Arroyo Seco

This monitoring day was the first of quarterly bacteria sampling that the Stream Team will participate in. This program is a partnership with the Southern California Marine Institute. The Stream Team will also participate in monthly water quality monitoring efforts along the Arroyo.

Organized by the Arroyo Seco Foundation, the Arroyo Seco Stream Team is made up of people working together to protect, conserve and restore our watershed.

Big thanks to the Arroyo Seco Stream Team Volunteers: Angelica Garza, Ivana Gomez del Campo, Bill Joyce, Celeste Moore, Mary Renaker and Jane Tsong. Thanks also to Erick Burres, State Water Resources Control Board, and Lisa Gilbane, Southern California Marine Institute.

If you would like to get involved in this work, sign up for the Arroyo Seco Stream Team.

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