The Town of Occoquan has partnered with the Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) to install two water quality monitoring stations in the Occoquan River. Every Wednesday between May and September, volunteers will take samples of the water to test the Occoquan’s water quality. Through this testing, Occoquan joins over 24 other sites along the Potomac as part of the Community Science Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. The end goal is to make the Potomac and its tributaries safe and usable for everyone.
For more information, visit www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/community-science-volunteer-water-quality-monitoring-program/.
Site Locations
- Kayak Launch Ramp: Every Wednesday volunteers take samples off the edge of the kayak launch under the 123 Bridge. For updates on testing and more, visit its Swim Guide page here.
- Mill House Museum: Every Wednesday volunteers take samples from behind the Mill House Museum , next to the old mill ruins. For updates on testing and more, visit its Swim Guide page here.
Want to Volunteer?
We need a network of volunteers who are willing to collect samples from the monitoring stations on Wednesday mornings and bring the data to PRKN’s floating lab, Sea Dog, where it is analyzed and released weekly on the SwimGuide App and PKRN’s social media pages.
Free training to be a Community Science Water Quality Monitor can be completed by watching three training videos online and then successfully completing a Water Quality Monitoring Certification Exam. For more information go to www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/volunteer/ and scroll down to the section on “Community Science Water Quality Monitors.” For questions, please contact Morgan Bench at morgan@prknetwork.org.
This is a great way to become involved in citizen science endeavors and support the health of our namesake river.