PROJECT SEARCH

WATER QUALITY MONITORING (and more)
FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Row of pebbles.

Links to Useful Water Quality-Related Websites

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection: mission, some historical background, current events, and information about the various bureaus and offices.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds

United States Geological Survey, National website: mission statement, overview of activities. For water-related invormation, go to USGS on the Web, Water. Then choose Your State for information specific to Connecticut (also see next link).

U.S. Geological Survey, Connecticut website: general information about USGS programs in Connecticut, quality reports for Connecticut surface and ground waters, fact sheets, other publications, and much, much more. This site is a great resource for Project SEARCH participants! Go to Date, Connecticut and click on Annual Reports for water quality data from rivers monitored in Connecticut.

Project NEMO: Non-point (pollution) Education for Municipal Officials (and other humans). A University of Connecticut, Cooperative Extension System program designed to teach town officials and citizens about nonpoint source pollution, how land use affects it and how to mitigate against it. Many resources available.

Map and Geographic Information Center at the University of Connecticut. For those equipped with geographic information software, this is the ultimate soure for maps of Connecticut. Those without GIS should visit also to see what is available (see next link).

Environmental Systems Research Institute(ESRI), the makers of popular ArcView and ArcInfo software. This site offers information for GIS users, beginners to advanced. If you would like a taste of GIS usage, download ArcExplorer free. Then go to the UConn MAGIC library (above) website for maps of Connecticut.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:, provides a wide range of information concerning human health and diseases (waterborne and otherwise). For recent information about a particular disease or disease organism, click on MMWR (Morbidiy and Mortality Weekly Report) and use the search command.

Vendors for Project SEARCH

The Millipore Company: product information and technical support.

The Lamotte Company: product and curriculum information, some technical support and instructions for chemical tests.

Macroinvertebrate Information

New York DEC Macroinvertebrate Page: A site with great images and some tips for identifying orders and family.

EPA Bioindicators page: The EPA site with more detailed information and images of benthic macroinvertebrates

University of Minnesota Aquatic Insect Verification Site:Good site with photos for comparing your specimens with for accurate Identification

West Virginia DEP Aquatic Invertebrate Guide:PDF document that shows drawings of organisms and connects to photos and background information

Battle Ground School District Slide Show Primer on Macroinvertebrates:This powerpoint goes over general info and some identifying characteristics of several of the more common freshwater macroinvertebrates.

Troutnut underwater macroinvertebrate photos: This is a great website with underwater photos of the benthic critters in their natural habitats.

Storm Water Information

Stormwater Center: A great site for publications and information on stormwater and runoff.