Water Quality Sampling Program
Sligo Water Quality Data Sligo-NW Branch Water Quality Sites National Airport Temperature/Precipitation Data

Sampling Program Objectives To monitor the water quality of Sligo Creek in a chemical manner and provide data to the general public and the government To make the Montgomery County and Maryland governments aware that we are watching the creek regularly To report to the government when there are illicit discharges to the creek so that they are mindful of it and consider it in making budgeting decisions To accumulate water quality data on Sligo Creek to know if it is becoming better or worse over time

Station ANA0082 Anacostia River at Bladensburg Road Chesapeake Bay Water Quality

Sampling Sites

Testing Parameters and Equipment

Parameter	Equipment Used
Temperature	Taken from the pH or conductivity testing instruments
pH	ExStik pH (pH 100) waterproof series pen from Extech Instruments
Turbidity	Smart 2 Colorimeter from LaMotte
Conductivity	ExStik Conductivity tester from Extech Instruments
Dissolved Oxygen	AW3011 Dissolved Oxygen Meter from Hanna Instruments
Nitrate	Smart 2 Colorimeter from LaMotte
Phosphate	Smart 2 Colorimeter from LaMotte

Recommended Reading

• Behar, Sharon. Testing the waters: chemical and physical vital signs of a river. Montpelier, VT: River Watch Network, 1997. ISBN 0-7872-3492-3

  This 211 page book describes in detail carrying out tests and interpreting data for parameters including temperature, pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrate, and phosphate. See here for more information.

• The volunteer monitor: the national newsletter of volunteer water quality monitoring. Available online at http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/vm_index.html.
• Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring National Facilitation Project, U.S. Department of Agriculture.