Blog

In recognition of National Drinking Water Week, the local nonprofit water testing lab, Community Science Institute, will be offering discounted coliform bacteria testing for residents with private wells. National Drinking Water Week raises awareness about drinking water protection and highlights the importance of the availability of safe drinking water. Less than one percent (1%) ofRead more

6/23/14 Update: This position has been filled. The Community Science Institute (CSI) seeks a qualified individual at the junior or senior level to join our small, versatile lab team performing certified analyses of potable and non-potable water for coliform bacteria and over 15 chemical parameters. Minimum Qualifications: Either a B.S. in chemistry or related disciplineRead more

Youth aged 8-13 and their families are invited to come to an Open House for the 4-H20 Club, a 4-H club that partners with the Community Science Institute to monitor water quality in the streams and Cayuga Lake near Stewart Park . The Open House is scheduled for May 8th from 4:30-6:30 PM at CornellRead more

Abundant clean water is a defining characteristic of the Finger Lakes region. While the miles long lakes, tumbling waterfalls, and endless recreational opportunities can be easy to take for granted, there are teams of community volunteers, who, partnered with the Ithaca-based nonprofit water testing lab, the Community Science Institute, routinely monitor area streams and collectRead more

An expensive fix is set for the wastewater treatment plant that has spilled sewage and sent feces-bacteria-filled water cascading into Trumansburg Creek. The pollution, first reported by The Ithaca Journal in 2012, attracted attention from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and now, the Trumansburg Wastewater Treatment Plant is slated to receive $5.4 million in upgrades to fixRead more

 CSI Ithaca Investigates Local Water Quality If you’ve ever needed your water tested, you might have come to the Community Science Institute (CSI). Tucked away on the second floor of Langmuir Lab by the Ithaca airport, CSI does much more than residential water testing. Founded in 2002, the Community Science Institute is a nonprofit organizationRead more

CSI’s Biological Monitoring program just got a big boost, thanks to a donation of six dissecting microscopes from the Ithaca College Biology Department. Microscopes are necessary for identifying benthic macroinvertebrates as part of CSI’s biological monitoring program. Benthic macroinvertebrates are aquatic insects that live at the bottom of streams. They are excellent indicators of waterRead more

If you can’t tell whether or not the pronotum of a thoracic segment of a Netspinning Caddisfly is scleratized, you’re not alone. You may have never even heard of a Netspinning Caddisfly. Fine details such as these are not noticed by casual observers, but play a major role in the world of aquatic entymology. WhenRead more

The Community Science Institute will be holding another event in the “What’s in Your Watershed?” series, focusing on Fall & Virgil Creeks. This event will take place on Wednesday, January 15th at 6:30 PM at the Tompkins County Public Library BorgWarner Room, located at 101 E. Green Street in Ithaca. This event will highlight theRead more

CSI and 59 other local nonprofit organizations will be at the 10th Annual Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair this Saturday, December 7th from 11 AM – 6 PM in Ithaca. The fair is held in both the First Baptist Church and the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of N. Cayuga and Court Street in Ithaca. The Alternative Gift Fair is an opportunityRead more

On the mellow autumn evening of October 12, the third Sunset Dinner on Cayuga was enjoyed by all in the beautiful dining hall at Wells College on Cayuga Lake’s east shore in the picturesque village of Aurora.  “Sunset” is a dinner-dance fundraiser for the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network (Network), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating aboutRead more

Join us for a Night at the Lab! Whether you’re a new volunteer or a seasoned veteran, BMI Night at the Lab is a great way to dive into the world of biological monitoring!   The evening will include a brief introduction (or refresher) on the sampling process, an overview of CSI’s new protocols for easier sortingRead more

As part of our Membership Drive, CSI has published its first-ever Newsletter: The Water Bulletin. This first issue goes in depth about some of CSI’s programs, recent accomplishments, and local water quality issues. You can view or download the newsletter by clicking the link below. The Water Bulletin, Issue 1, Spring 2013 If you wouldRead more

CSI Staff Stephen Penningroth, Matthew Yarrow, Rebecca Bowen, Abner Figueroa, and Soraya Delgado have been published in the peer-reviewed journal “New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy”. The article, “Community-Based Risk Assessment of Water Contamination from High-Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing” can be viewed or downloaded here: New Solutions Article Read more

Local NPR station, WSKG, stopped by the CSI lab for a visit and to hear about our “Red Flag” Monitoring Program. We’re featured, along with the Sierra Club “Water Sentinels” program in this story about the importance of collecting baseline data prior to drilling activity. Click the link below to read or listen to theRead more