The Butler County-based Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition announced it has received a grant from the Colcom Foundation which will allow the Coalition to refurbish and purchase new conductivity data loggers.

Data loggers are electronic devices which automatically monitor and record environmental parameters over time, allowing conditions to be measured, documented, analyzed and validated.

The data logger contains a sensor to receive the information and a computer chip to store it.

Data such as water conductivity, temperature, and flow are collected at certain locations in the watershed's streams and stored for later analysis that will help determine the health of the water and passive mine drainage treatment systems.

This grant will allow the Coalition to reboot its water monitoring program.

The program started in 2014 and after the last six years, only four of the data loggers were still functional.  In addition, several loggers were lost through vandalism and high water flows.

Volunteers Needed!

The Coalition is seeking volunteers to collect the data off the data loggers.  This involves using a shuttle device to download the data, cleaning the data loggers and conducting a few water quality tests.

If anyone is interested, please contact Shaun Busler at 724-776-0161.

The Colcom Foundation was established in 1996 and in just 14 years they have helped restore 2,790 miles of rivers and streams, planted 4 million trees and helped improve 48,914 acres of land.

Colcom has funded many of the nation's leading environmental and conservation organizations, helping improve our environment and protect our national treasures.

Colcom's primary mission is to foster a sustainable environment to ensure quality of life for all Americans by addressing major causes and consequences of overpopulation and its adverse effects on natural resources.

The Foundation also supports regional conservation, environmental projects and cultural assets.

To learn more, visit the Colcom Foundation website.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition website.

(Reprinted from the September Catalyst newsletter by the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

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[Posted: Sept. 10, 2020]

9/14/2020