Rising 7th grader and Secchi Dip-In participant Alex Lambert takes measurements in the Catawba River. (Catawba Riverkeeper photo)

You can help with the tests of water quality and clarity. Info below on how to get a “Secchi Disk” test kit

SOURCE: Catawba Riverkeeper
Everyone wants to see their feet when they go for a swim in the lake, and the fish like to see what they are about to eat. The Catawba Riverkeeper wants to know, too, and this month an army of volunteers will be out testing the waters from boats, docks and piers. They’ll be dropping black-and-white weighted disks on a ropes into the water to assess water clarity.

The volunteers began tests June 25 and they’ll continue through July 17 at sites throughout the Catawba River Chain of Lakes. This volunteer assessment of water clarity will be adding data to the “Secchi Dip-In,” a project to monitor lakes in the United States and Canada that started in 1994 with 800 volunteers in six Midwest states. It’s named for the black-and-white “Secchi disks” used in the tests.

The Secchi Dip-In is a “demonstration of the potential of volunteer monitors to gather environmentally important information on our lakes, rivers and streams.” Over the years, it has grown to encompass numerous waterways throughout the United States and Canada, and has encouraged the participation of over 2,000 volunteers. This project provides local, regional and international insights into water quality. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the North American Lake Management Society are nation-wide sponsors of the 2011 Secchi Dip-In.

Catawba Riverkeeper is launching this project locally because since the inception of Secchi Dip-In, very little information has been submitted to this national dataset regarding our region’s drinking water resource, the Catawba River.

“Not only is this a great opportunity to learn about the clarity and health of the lakes in our region. It’s a great excuse to get out and enjoy the Catawba’s lakes,” Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman said in a press release.

YOU CAN HELP

Catawba Riverkeeper encourages citizens of all ages throughout the Catawba River basin to participate in the environmental monitoring project as well. Anyone interested in participating in the project can contact Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation to receive a Secchi disk, directions and data collection sheets.

Data collection sheets and Secchi disk testing directions are available on the riverkeeper website at http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/our-work/secchi-dip-in.

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A small group of paddlers joined last year's Crazy Kayak tour.

The group, organized by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, is seeking paddlers to join a Catawba River expedition beginning June 11. Can’t paddle? They need sponsors too.

Last June, a group of kayakers paddled a couple of hundred miles down the Catawba River to raise awareness of water quality along the river and raise money for The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. They’ll be back again this year, with a 225-mile trip that starts June 11, 2011, and they’re seeking fellow paddlers to join the expedition and sponsors to contribute.

Here’s a press release from the group with details:

CRAZY KAYAK 2nd ANNUAL RIVER BASIN TOUR

Sponsor the Crazy Kayakers and help keep the Catawba River Clean and Free Flowing

Starting on June 11, 2011, the Crazy Kayakers with Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation will hit the rivers and lakes of the Catawba River basin to promote water quality awareness and to proclaim recreational water usage of approximately 225 miles of the Catawba River during the weekends of June and July.

We will begin our 108 mile paddle near the headwaters of the river on Lake James and end our journey at Lake Wateree State Park. Novice and experienced paddlers stand up paddlers, and sailors are invited to join us during the social events planned along the way.

Whether you join us on the water or would like to keep your feet on dry ground, we would love to have you sponsor our Crazy Kayakers. Sponsor at any level as a way to participate (example $1.00 per mile) and support our mission. Choose your level of sponsorship and sponsor with:

Credit card online at http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/join/member-donate.

Mail a donation of your choice to Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, 421 Minuet Lane Suite 205, Charlotte NC 28217

We will have T-shirts for sale to commemorate your participation in this adventure, we encourage you to support us with a purchase of one for $25.00 at the event site.

Bring your own boats, stand up paddle board, etc. or call a local outfitter. Visit our website or meet-up site http://www.meetup.com/Catawba-Riverkeeper-Foundation/> to sign up and receive more information on outfitters, etc. You may also view images from last years Crazy Kayak Tour.

You may follow this year’s tour on our website and Twitter (CRFRiverkeeper) throughout the weekends of June and July.

For more information call Tracy Tripp, Community Coordinator for the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation at 704-679-9494 or email her at tracy@catawbariverkeeper.org

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