We need volunteers to help with water quality

Indianapolis, Indiana – This weekend presents a compelling volunteer opportunity if you possess the enthusiasm of an explorer, the curiosity of a scientist, or the desire to be outside regardless of the weather.

River Assessment Field Teams, or RAFTs, set out once a month to genuinely “wade into” a crucial task: gathering water samples from nearby rivers and streams.

As stated by the organizers via the White River Alliance, the objectives are:

• Help provide a more complete picture of water quality by teasing out pollution hot spots and measuring trends over time.
• Help our Alliance direct educational and cost-share resources to areas with bad water quality.
• Help agencies like the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and county health departments fill in knowledge gaps and address concerns.

Here is a link to an interactive view of the last three years’ results.

Three sampling regions in the counties of Hamilton and Marion are used for the operation. White River Township and Noblesville are included in the Northern region.

For instance, the water close to Connor Prairie is the target of Sunday’s operation.

Clay and Delaware Townships in Hamilton County as well as Washington and Pike Townships in Marion County are included in the Central region.

Decatur, Perry, Wayne, and Center Townships in Marion County comprise the Southern area.

In contrast to other Alliance programs, volunteers for RAFT are not required to just “sign up and show up.” Rather, they have to finish a number of online training exercises, which include multiple-choice tests. The training may take two to three hours, the organizers warn.

Volunteers can participate in RAFT work as frequently or as infrequently as they’d like after the training is over.

Wearing a hat, sunglasses, and clothing you don’t mind getting filthy and wet is advised by the organizers. If you have waders, bring them, although loaners are also available.

Teams from RAFT work regardless of the weather.