New Story Map Showcases World Class Water Quality Monitoring System

CONTACT:
Stacey Hanrahan,
Communications and Outreach Specialist
Office: (717) 238-0423, ext. 1314

New Story Map Showcases World Class Water Quality Monitoring System

HARRISBURG, Pa. - One of the largest basin-specific, real-time water quality monitoring programs in the nation happens to be in our backyard. And now you can easily learn about it with our newly published interactive story map.

The Commission's Continuous Instream Monitoring (CIM) system collects water quality data with intense measurement frequency (readings every 15 minutes), and conditions are documented 24/7 at fixed locations for years supporting scientific analyses of long-term environmental changes and trends.

From the story map, you can learn about the Commission's real-time water quality monitoring efforts since 2003. You can explore the profiles of more than 75 watersheds in the Susquehanna River Basin. The dashboard will show you watershed-specific data on fish and bug health, long-term temperature trends and acidity levels, just to name a few parameters available. And you can browse photos of each watershed, equipment in use, and our scientists in action.

The dashboard is awesome!" said Allyson Gibson, Director of Lancaster County Clean Water Partners, referring to the easily navigable public component of the CIM. And Arianne Proctor, Chief of Minerals Division at PA's Department of Conservation & Natural Resources said, "The CIM story map does a beautiful job describing the purpose of the monitoring network and providing users with incredibly detailed information summarized in an easy to visualize, meaningful format. A versatile tool for everyone in the Basin!

The CIM's expanded network can assist emergency managers with spill response, forecasting pollutant movement and alerting water supply operators before hazardous waste reaches their intakes. Many CIM stations are monitoring water quality in areas of the Basin where unconventional natural gas production is underway.

The Commission is committed to long-term environmental monitoring in order to provide a thorough understanding of the Basin's water quality conditions and aquatic ecosystem health. The data CIM provides are essential for effective policy-making, wise allotment of limited restoration of funds and overall management of the Basin's resources.

About the Susquehanna River Basin Commission

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is a federal/interstate governmental agency responsible for protecting and wisely managing the water resources within the 27,500 square-mile Susquehanna River Basin without regard to political boundaries. The Susquehanna rises and flows through New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland into the Chesapeake Bay. For more information on the Commission, visit srbc.net or follow us on Twitter: @SRBCnews.