ShoreRivers Launches “RiverWatch” Real-Time Water Quality Data

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Ann Frock
afrock@shorerivers.org
443.385.0511

(EASTON) March 15, 2018

ShoreRivers Launches "RiverWatch" Real-Time Water Quality Data

RiverWatch Shot 1.png

ShoreRivers is pleased to announce the launch of RiverWatch, an online, interactive digital map of synchronized water quality information. The program can be accessed via the ShoreRivers website homepage. From here, the interactive map links to watershed pages, from which visitors can select from ShoreRivers’ 200 monitoring locations and view both historical and recent water quality data for the Chester, Choptank, Miles, Sassafrass, and Wye Rivers and Eastern Bay. RiverWatch displays the information collected by Riverkeepers, scientists and citizen volunteers, along with trend lines and water quality scores. The page will be updated regularly. Instead of having to wait nine months for a complete monitoring cycle to be analyzed, citizens can now be apprised of the health of each river or sub-watershed after each sampling trip throughout the season.

RiverWatch was developed by Chesapeake Commons, a nonprofit organization that partners with Chesapeake Bay restoration stakeholders to provide high quality digital services and tools that use data to solve challenging problems in watershed restoration. RiverWatch was created with significant contributions from Chesapeake Commons as an innovative, customized platform on behalf of ShoreRivers as a pilot project for nationwide marketing. Chesapeake Commons created the RiverWatch platform to facilitate sharing water quality monitoring locations and to connect thousands of volunteers and hundreds of small watershed organizations across the country.

“RiverWatch is a valuable tool that provides a meaningful visualization of our water quality data,” says Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta. “It solves some of our biggest challenges by generating a map of our monitoring sites, associating readings to determine trends, revealing historic ranges, and allowing us to integrate a dynamic monitoring map and results into our website and social media. Other monitoring programs will be able to leave notes that give an overview of the results throughout the monitoring season. We’re grateful that Chesapeake Commons developed this amazing tool that enables us to share monitoring results and engage with our local community and decision-makers.”

Water quality monitoring is a cornerstone of ShoreRivers’ work. The organization uses data collected throughout the year to track trends in water quality, identify and mitigate pollution sources, support broad policy advocacy initiatives, and strategically prioritize restoration efforts. Grade analysis is based on protocols developed in collaboration with the Maryland Tributary Assessment Coalition. Historically, ShoreRivers has disseminated this data to the public annually in River Report Cards. Through RiverWatch, this outreach and information is now available in near-real-time.

Experience RiverWatch via the ShoreRivers website at shorerivers.org/riverwatch. For more information, contact Matt Pluta at 443.385.0511 or mpluta@shorerivers.org.