News : Iowa water quality meeting planned

IOWATER, Iowa’s statewide volunteer water quality monitoring program, will host an Introductory IOWATER Workshop at the Tama County Nature Centerlocated at Otter Creek Lake, rural Toledo on Saturday, August 28.

During the workshop, classroom instruction will be combined with hands-on training as participants learn how to monitor and assess the quality of their local streams, rivers, and lakes.

IOWATER emphasizes a perspective based on the “watershed,” or the area of land that drains into a body of water. As workshop participants will learn, much of the trash, chemicals and other materials used on the land will eventually end up in the water.

Water quality monitoring volunteers will be trained to conduct physical and chemical assessments. Physical assessments document the physical attributes of a waterbody, such as temperature and water clarity. Chemical testing includes pH, nitrogen, phosphate, chloride and dissolved oxygen monitoring.

If they choose to do so, volunteers may submit their data to an online database via the IOWATER website, www.iowater.net. Anyone can view data submitted by volunteers, but only certified IOWATER volunteers can enter data.

Workshop registration fee is $20 per person or the group registration fee is $30 for a team of up to three people ($10 for each additional person in a group larger than three participants). This fee includes a meal and water quality testing equipment. Note: One water quality testing equipment kit will be issued per team.

The deadline for registration is August 18.

For more information or to register, please contact Bob Etzel, Tama County Conservation BoardDirector, at 641/484-2231 or e-mail at betzel@tamacounty.org