Community Science Institute

Baseline Water Testing

spenningroth — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:18:37 +0000

If you are a private homeowner, you may be concerned about the risk of contamination of your water by gas well activities.

Mission Statement

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:25:30 +0000

The mission of the Community Science Institute (CSI) is to foster and support environmental monitoring by volunteers in order to educate the public about natural resources and to collect scientifically credible data for use in protecting the environment and managing natural resources sustainably.

To fulfill our mission with respect to water resources in our region, we broker partnerships between volunteer groups and local government agencies to monitor streams and lakes in the Cayuga Lake watershed and beyond. We recruit and train volunteers, coordinate their monitoring activities, and assure that data produced with volunteer support meet the standards of good science as well as the data quality objectives of local stakeholders. We operate a certified water quality testing laboratory (ELAP #11790) where water samples collected by volunteers are analyzed for bacteria, nutrients, solids and minerals. We archive raw data in MS Excel spreadsheets and make the files publicly available on our website. We offer analyses and interpretations of the water quality of lakes and their feeder streams in the form of narrative summaries based on graphs and tables of key chemical, physical and microbiological parameters. Graphs, tables and summaries of results are posted on our website and updated regularly in order to provide timely information for local decision-making on a range of environmental policy issues.

Is Community Science the Same as Citizen Science?

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:21:12 +0000

Not quite. Citizen science is growing in popularity among researchers as a way to enlarge the scope of scientific inquiry by engaging volunteers to help collect data. Citizen science projects tend to be regional, national or international in scope. They may involve observational monitoring, the testing of scientific hypotheses, or a combination of the two. Audiences for citizen science projects are generally other research scientists and government agencies at the state, national and international level.

Community science differs from citizen science in some respects. Community science projects focus on local issues and local government. They prioritize observational monitoring and the use of data for science-based management of local resources over hypothesis testing and publication in scientific journals. Community science adheres to the scientific method, and projects may contribute to new scientific knowledge. However, creating new knowledge is secondary to gathering data within a known scientific framework and using results to manage local resources sustainably.

Community Science and Local Policy Decisions

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:36:28 +0000

Following are examples of local policy decisions that may be facilitated by community science investigations of water quality, with specific reference to the Cayuga Lake watershed:

Policy Issue	Water Quality Data from Community Science Monitoring Program

Improve management, upgrade, or replace sewage treatment plant (STP)	Levels of fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria, phosphorus, nitrogen, toxic chemicals in STP effluent
Build new sewage treatment plant in Lansing or connect to Cayuga Heights plant	Levels of E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria in lake water near lake-front homes with on-site septic systems
Safety of swimming in streams and lake	Levels of E. coli or fecal coliform
Promote tourism	Provide “report card” on water quality in the Cayuga Lake watershed and make it available on the internet
Meet state mandates for regulating stormwater impacts, including public outreach and education	Engage volunteers in monitoring activities; use data from volunteer monitoring partnerships to demonstrate compliance with mandates
Upgrade City of Ithaca water treatment plant on Six Mile Creek or switch to Bolton Point water supply on Cayuga Lake	Pattern of sediment, bacteria and nutrients along Six Mile Creek; water quality relative to other streams and Cayuga Lake; identify and manage source(s) of elevated chlorination by-products
Dredge Cayuga Inlet and Cayuga Lake; projected cost	Estimate annual loading of sediment by combining water quality data with USGS flow data
Imposition of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements for phosphorus and sediment loading to southern end of Cayuga Lake	Annual empirical estimates of phosphorus and sediment loading provide basis for negotiating TMDLs and allocating TMDL burden among municipalities