Water Quality Monitoring
MiCorps Stream Monitoring
The Barry Conservation District, in partnership with the Thornapple River Watershed Council (TRWC) and Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW), received a Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Volunteer Stream Monitoring Implementation Grant for water quality monitoring in the Thornapple River Watershed.
This monitoring grant provides us with the training and equipment to preform macroinvertebrate sampling throughout the watershed to monitor water quality conditions by collecting macroinvertebrates. Macro - big enough to be seen by the naked eye | Invertebrate - animal without a backbone
Macroinvertebrate sampling is an easy and fun way to determine water quality. Some macroinvertebrates are very sensitive and can only survive in high quality waters, others can live with high amounts of pollution present. This is a great way to get a long-term view on current water quality.
Want to know more? Watch this interview!
Each MiCorps sampling team includes 1 team leader, 1-2 collectors, and 3+ pickers.
Read more about each role and sign up below!
Team leaders oversee sampling events, record data, and ensure quality control.
*Training required
Collectors are in-stream using D-nets to collect samples over a specified amount of time.
*Training required
Pickers assist collectors and ‘pick’ through collected materials to sort and identify macroinvertebrates.
MiCorps Stream Data
Current Monitoring Sites
Barry-118 Glass Creek
Barry-137 Unnamed Tributary (Trout Creek)
Barry-200 Coldwater River
Barry-201 Thornapple River (Nashville)
Barry-202 Thornapple River (Irving)
Barry-203 High Bank Creek
Do you live on or have property along a stream or river in the Thornapple River watershed? If so, we would love to consider it for future monitoring! Please complete the “monitor my stream” form below and our project manager will contact you!
Salt/Nitrate Watch
“Road salt keeps us safe on roads and sidewalks during the winter months. Towns, cities, businesses, and individuals dump roughly 20 million tons of salt every year. As snow melts or rain falls, that salt gets washed into our storm drains, our streams, and even into our drinking water.
Nitrate (NO3-) is a naturally occurring compound and an essential nutrient for plant growth. Unfortunately, human activities produce more nitrogen than natural systems can use. Water containing excess nitrate from sources like fertilizers, manure, and sewage can pose serious problems for the health of humans and the environment.
Salt Watch and Nitrate Watch are crowd-sourced community science projects of the Izaak Walton League of America. These programs mobilize volunteers across the country to monitor chloride (road salt) and/or nitrate levels in surface water (rivers, lakes, streams) and drinking water.”
Current Monitoring Sites
Site 40992 - Thornapple Plaza, Hastings
Other Resources
EPA How’s My Waterway
Search by address to learn more about the water quality in your watershed. Learn more at How's My Waterway - Home
MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP)
This program trains and supports lake owners on how to conduct and contribute lake monitoring data including;
Secchi Disk (turbidity),
Total Phosphorus,
Chlorophyll-a,
Dissolved Oxygen (DO),
Temperature,
Aquatic Plants,
Exotic Aquatic Plants, and
Score the Shore (shoreline development)
