Ohio Stream Quality Monitoring (SQM) Project

What is SQM?

Stream Quality Monitoring (SQM) is done on river corridors in the Scenic Rivers Program.

Small aquatic organisms (macroinvertebrates) are collected from a stream and surveyed to determine which types are present and how frequently they occur. The organisms are returned to the water while the data are used to determine the health of that portion of the stream.

Macroinvertebrates are highly effective barometers of a river's health because they have varying tolerances of pollution. Surveying the presence, quantity, and diversity of macroinvertebrates can indicate potential problems.

Because SQM is done by volunteers and doesn't require any chemical analysis, biological monitoring is a simple and cost-effective method of testing a stream's health. The Stream Quality Monitors observe firsthand any changes occurring in the river.

SQM volunteers fill out assessment forms for their assigned stations a few times per year, which helps the division prepare a cumulative index value for each stream station. These values rank a stream's health as excellent, good, fair or poor at the time of monitoring, and are a direct result of the diversity of collected macroinvertebrates.

Assessment forms are compiled into a yearly report. As the data accumulates, seasonal and other normal fluctuations can become predictable. Ongoing monitoring is essential to protecting the health of Ohio's Scenic Rivers. Abnormal changes can indicate potential pollution problems, which would prompt further investigation.

SQM Volunteers

More than 5,000 volunteers monitor about 150 designated stations on Ohio's scenic rivers. Participants range from scouting groups and school classes to conservation groups, fishing and hunting clubs, and senior citizens.

Being an SQM volunteer is easy and fun, and it doesn't take a large commitment of time or any prior experience.

At at a free workshop, volunteers are taught how to identify macroinvertebrates and record their findings. Individuals and groups are given easy-to-use equipment and assigned to one or more stream stations.

Working in teams of two or more, volunteers examine small riffle areas of stream bottoms and use fine mesh nets, called seines, to collect macroinvertebrates. Data are recorded on an assessment form and the macroinvertebrates are then released.

Whether you are an individual or part of a larger organization, we invite you to help make a difference. For more information, please call (614) 265-6453.

Assessment

The assessment process includes seining the same portion of a river 3 or 4 times a year, logging water and weather conditions, and counting macroinvertebrates. The macroinvertebrate survey data is entered into an assessment form and a score is determined for the site. This scoring technique is called the cumulative index value and it helps determine if the quality of the site seined is excellent, good, fair or poor.

These assessments are performed by trained volunteers. The assessment data is used to produce the annual SQM Report for a scenic river.

**The assessment form to be used for 2010 assessments is currently begin revised. The form will be available here when it is complete.**

Stream Quality Monitoring Annual Reports