Ohio Stream Quality Monitoring Project

Making a Difference

Being an SQM volunteer is easy, fun and doesn't take a large commitment of time or any prior experience. Volunteers range from individuals and organizations to teachers and their entire classes.

Following a free, short workshop, individuals and groups are given easy-to-use equipment and assigned to one or more stream stations.

Volunteers, working in teams of two or more, examine small, riffle areas of stream bottoms and use fine mesh nets, called seines, to collect macroinvertebrates. Volunteers are taught how to identify these tiny organisms and record their findings. The macroinvertebrates are then released.

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

The "kick seine" technique is used to collect organisms. It is a simple procedure used in riffle areas for collecting live stream-dwelling macroinvertebrates. Participants examine the variety of macroinvertebrates in the collected samples.

Once the participants have collected their samples, the seine with the organisms is removed from the water and taken to the river back for identification and scoring.

The Health of Our Rivers and Streams

Ohio's landscape is changing rapidly. The health of our rivers and streams is closely linked to their surrounding watersheds. Responsible planning and continued monitoring can reduce the impact of inappropriate development along Ohio's waterways.

Biological monitoring is a proven way of determining the quality of rivers and streams. Developed in 1983 by the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Ohio's Stream Quality Monitoring (SQM) Project uses a variety of biological testing techniques to compile information on the quality of the state's scenic rivers and streams.

Volunteers are vital to the success of this important monitoring program. With the help of volunteers, the Ohio SQM Project maintains data on 21 state scenic river segments.

Biological monitoring can be performed year-round, but most volunteers participate during warmer weather months, usually April through October.

Biological assessment is an excellent, simple and cost-effective method of testing a stream's health, as opposed to chemical analysis which can be complicated, costly anc subject to many variables. Organisms are collected from a stream and surveyed to determine which types are present and how frequently they occur.

Monitoring macroinvertebrates, small aquatic organisms, is the basis of Ohio's SQM Project. Because these animals have varying tolerances of pollution, surveying can indicate potential problems.

Macroinvertebrates are highly effective barometers of a river's health. Negative environmental changes to their stream habitat directly threaten the existence of these sensitive creatures. By monitoring the presence, quantity and diversity of macroinvertebrates, the division is able to assess stream quality and observe firsthand any changes occurring in the river.

Lacking a backbone, these small organisms live among the rocks and cobbles of a riverbed, and yet they are visible to the naked eye. Macroinvertebrates include: aquatic insects, clams, snails, crayfish and aquatic worms.

Using their collection data, volunteers fill out assessment forms which help 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 by the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. 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.

Environmental Education Opportunity

Stream quality monitoring is a simple tool used to monitor a stream's health, but it can be so much more. SQM volunteering has become a hands-on environmental educational tool, used by a variety of Ohio educators. It helps increase awareness about water issues and gives volunteers of all ages a chance to become actively involved in protecting local waterways while learning about stream ecology.

Teachers use monitoring opportunities for science class projects and to address educational science standards; scouts use the experience to earn nature badges; and families find volunteering a great way to spend time together, helping the environment. Most volunteers find they experience a greater appreciation for the importance of protecting Ohio's rivers and watersheds.

To learn more, contact us.