River Monitoring Returns!

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our volunteers, the River Monitoring program transitioned smoothly back into community-driven water quality monitoring after essentially a year hiatus this March. Many long-time locals and Yuba lovers were able to go out for a sunny day in between two bouts of snow to collect water samples from the river.

Thirty-nine volunteers, eight of which are new, put in over 111 hours of River Monitoring in one weekend to sample 29 of our 35 sites (the remaining six were too snowed out). Several of our volunteers courageously snowshoed to their sites! We are humbled to have so many driven volunteers on the team.

What Did We Find?

The past month’s water quality sampling gave a general overview of current conditions and found that our Yuba watershed is in good health! River Monitors sampled water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and pH, finding that all of these values are within healthy ranges for plants and animals alike.

The River Monitoring Program has monitoring sites located all throughout the Yuba watershed on all three forks of the Yuba River ranging from Downieville to Donner Pass all the way down to Marysville. 

A Long History of Stewardship

Many River Monitors have been sampling the same sites each season for many years and have come to know them well. Returning to sample their sites after a year hiatus was a bit of a homecoming! The River Monitoring Program is truly thankful for their continued help and dedication in stewarding the Yuba watershed. The photos below, taken by various River Monitors, showcase just a few of the different forms of beauty the Yuba nurtures!

If you are interested in volunteering in the River Monitoring program, please look out for our annual recruitment for new volunteers in late February/early March 2022!