The Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers Association (MPRA) has begun a citizen monitoring program involving the collection of water samples from area streams for bacteria testing. Training and equipment were provided by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) so that MPRA can assist DEQ in collecting monthly bacteria data in streams to help identify the extent of these problems and determine trends in water quality. MPRA is collecting samples on Totopotomoy Creek and the Pamunkey River in Hanover; Herring Creek, an unnamed tributary to the Pamunkey River above the Rt. 360 Pamunkey River Bridge, the Mattaponi River, Webb Creek, and Governor’s Swamp in King William County; and Dickey’s Swamp (upper Garnett’s Creek) and Tastine Swamp in King and Queen County.

Volunteers collecting samples for the first sampling event included: Elizabeth Christeller, Austin Lewis, Becki Moore, Jane Ruffin, Betty and John Jensen, Garrie and Garrison Rouse, Nancy, Casey and Austin Gower, Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School teacher Sherry Pettyjohn, and two of her students, Holly Stainback and Sarah Grove. Additional volunteers trained for the project include: Joyce Brooks, Rose Mary Zellner, Greg Onyschuk, Carl Fischer and Angela Schreffler.

Once the water samples were collected, volunteers poured them into Petri dishes and incubated them for about 24 hours. The day after the sampling, a group of the volunteers gathered at the office of Rouse Environmental Services in Aylett to count bacteria colonies.

The presence of E.coli bacteria colonies indicates fecal contamination. Most of the samples collected by MPRA volunteers had no E. coli bacteria colonies. In addition to wildlife, sources of fecal contamination can be associated with human sewage, agricultural waste and pets. Only three of the sites had any E. coli colonies but all of these were well below the state water quality standard of 235 E. coli cells per 100 milliliters of water.

The volunteers will continue to collect samples and monitor for bacteria. If you are interested in learning more about the effort or would like to help, contact project chair Joyce Brooks at 769-1667 or jfbrooks@rcn.com.