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Lexington launches volunteer water-quality monitoring with 63 sampling sites; training Feb. 26
Summary
The City of Lexington will run a volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program this year that mobilizes teams to sample streams across seven major watersheds at roughly 63 sites per quarter; mandatory training for volunteers is set for Feb. 26 at the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Chase Jones, an engineering technician principal with the City of Lexington, said the city will begin a volunteer-driven Water Quality Monitoring Program this spring that will send teams to more than 60 stream sites to collect samples and track indicators such as E. coli.
"The Water Quality Monitoring Program is a volunteer event along with the City of Lexington staff that allows citizens to take creek samples to learn more about stream health within their watersheds," Jones said. He told viewers the effort will focus on on-site measurements (chlorine, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature) and lab-processed tests, including E. coli swabs.
City staff identified approximately 63 sampling sites across Lexington’s seven major watersheds and plan to deploy five or six teams over two days to tackle them each quarter. Jones said the program will pair volunteers with City personnel and the Towne Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant laboratory for sample processing.
Mandatory training for volunteers is scheduled for Feb. 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, 301 Jimmy Campbell Drive. The training will cover sampling methods, personal protective equipment, and on-site testing protocols. The city recommends boots and high‑visibility vests; gloves and most sampling materials will be provided. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by a guardian.
Jones said volunteer data have already helped identify likely sources of elevated E. coli in streams, and that the program helps target follow-up field work to find failed sanitary connections or other pollution sources. The City asked interested residents to sign up via the city's MS4 web page or contact the Lexington Water Quality program for details.
The monitoring calendar begins in March and will run on a quarterly basis; the city will publish additional registration and scheduling information online ahead of the first sampling event.
