Twice a year, the students of the Nisqually River Education Project monitor the water quality of many of the tributaries and the mainstem of the river. These students range in age from 4th grade through high school.
Hach, LaMotte and Millipore test kits and equipment are used. Dissolved Oxygen uses the Winkler titration method. Total Solids are done in the lab at the City of Yelm’s wastewater treatment/reclamation facility. Fecal Coliform tests are conducted in the field and in the classroom at Yelm and River Ridge High Schools and other elementary schools.
The tests are conducted under a basic written Quality Assurance/Quality Control plan. The Stapp/Mitchell Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring is used. All teachers receive formal training in the correct use of all kits and ancillary equipment.
This data is provided to the Nisqually Indian Tribe Department of Natural Resources, the Nisqually River Council and Thurston County Office of Environmental Health. This data is the basis of an annual “State of the Rivers” assessment at the Nisqually and South Sound GREEN Student Congress held during the last week of March, each year at the Evergreen State College.