We need your help! If any of the following
categories of volunteerism appeals to you, please contact
Julie Sigler ( 724-222-3060x117) or Joan Jessen (724-941-9370)
for more information.

Water Quality Monitoring
The ChCWA’s volunteer monitoring program conducts routine chemical and biological sampling activities at four stream stations within the watershed. At least twice a year, teams of monitors are dispatched with field testing equipment to analyze stream samples for key chemistry parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and metals. In addition, biological sampling of macroinvertebrates living in the streams is conducted twice a year (see below). The goal of these testing activities is to assess the overall health of the streams in our watershed. The more monitoring volunteers we have, the more stream sampling stations we can add to our program.

Semi-Annual
Macroinvertebrate Sampling
Volunteers are also welcome for the semi-annual macroinvertebrate sampling events. These activities are conducted at our stream sampling stations during April and October of each year. Volunteer monitors use kick nets to gather macroinvertebrate specimens for identification, and return the organisms to the stream once they’ve been classified

Stream Clean-Up
Periodically, the ChCWA and other local watershed organizations within Washington County sponsor clean-up activities at a local stream reach within the Chartiers Creek Watershed. In the past, stream clean-up activities have been held in late April on the City of Washington’s Clean-Up Day. Other clean-up activities are coordinated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.