Sonde Sampling Data
In 2019, OLWIPD acquired a YSI Water Quality Monitoring Sonde through a grant from the Emerson Foundation. The parameters measured by this device are temperature, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity. During the first year, staff monitored sites on Sucker Brook and Veness Brook, as well as additional sites around the watershed after storm events. Subsequent uses of the sonde have included sampling a technologically progressive septic installation at the South Bathhouse at Camp Y-Owasco, supporting monitoring by The Nature Conservancy over the summer season.
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For more information about the intended use for the first year of deployment of the sonde, click here.
View some of the collected data from Sucker Brook and Veness Brook here.
Past Sampling Projects
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Funding for this monitoring program is provided by the Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA) and Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development.
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2016 sampling results and locations
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2015 sampling results and locations
Bacteria Sampling
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Coliform is a group of bacteria present in every corner of our environment, and most are not dangerous to human health. These bacteria are used as indicators of drinking water quality – if coliform bacteria are present, there is a greater chance of harmful organisms also being present.
Fecal coliform is a subgroup of total coliform, which comes primarily from the feces of warm-blooded animals. E. coli is a subgroup of fecal coliform. Fecal coliform and E. coli levels are used as water quality indicator criteria for potential risk to human health.
Results of less than 200 fecal coliform per 100 milliliters (mL) generally indicate a bacterial level considered ‘good’ and suitable for bathing.
Nutrient Sampling
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Water samples are collected from watershed streams after major storm events. Samples are tested for levels of: Total Phosphorous (TP), Soluble Reactive Phosphorous (SRP), and Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN).
Quantifying nutrient levels helps us to better understand how heavy precipitation and runoff affect nutrient loading and water quality in watershed streams and Owasco Lake.
