Water Quality
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Quality Counts
Water Quality Recertification Changed for Secchi Simulator
www.MaineVolunteerLakeMonitors.org/recertify
By Linda Bacon
Maine DEP
Technical Advisor
Recertification workshops are upon us again! So it is time for me to put on my QA hat and remind all volunteers and cooperators of the importance of this step. This recertification process applies to DEP and VLMP staff as well. At the end of this week, we will be having the first of our two staff sessions on Long Pond in Belgrade. It is a site to behold: four to five boats either tied together or anchored closely at the deep hole each with 3-4 folks peering into the lake through scopes or taking oxygen profile after oxygen profile. We get together to review procedures and make sure staff and some volunteer meters are working properly before monitoring begins. This is the best way we can come up with to make sure the data collected is comparable year-to-year and lake-to-lake.
If you monitor for Dissolved Oxygen or obtain water samples using either a grab device or core tube, recertification is required annually. We review procedures and check equipment, much like we do at the staff sessions, and bring you up-to-date on any program changes.
If you monitor for Secchi Disk Transparency, the options for recertification have changed. Until last year, an on-the-lake recertification was required once every three years. In 2008 the VLMP launched the Secchi Simulator to provide volunteers a Virtual Recertification option. This option does not replace on-the-lake recertifications but will extend the period between on-the-lake sessions from three to a maximum of six years. Monitors must go through the Simulator annually. When you reach six years, an on-the-lake recertification will be absolutely necessary. Reminders will be sent to encourage you to attend an on-the-lake session years three, four, five and six from your most recent session. If you opt-out of the annual Simulator testing you will still need to be recertified on-the-lake every three years.
We are so very appreciative of the time you spend looking after your lake. We want to make sure that time is not wasted by reviewing procedures, answering your questions, sharing program updates with you, and most importantly, being able to put faces with names!
Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program
vlmp@mainevlmp.org
24 Maple Hill Road, Auburn, ME 04210
(207) 783-7733
www.MaineVolunteerLakeMonitors.org
copyright 2010 Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program | website comments to: vlmp@mainevlmp.org
