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Testing shows bacterial exceedances and low dissolved oxygen in upper Blue Fish River; nitrogen results due soon
Summary
Consultants reported elevated bacterial concentrations and episodes of dissolved‑oxygen below the state threshold in upstream June samples; nitrogen analyses were recently returned and a water‑quality memo is expected in days, with the final project report due at the end of the grant period.
Consultants leading Duxbury’s Blue Fish River restoration project reported water‑quality concerns in the upper channel upstream of the Harrison Street bridge. Mary Scholl of Woods Hole Group said the team’s limited June sampling showed that “all of the upstream samples in June exceeded that single value water quality threshold value for bacterial concentration,” indicating an impaired water body by DEP standards in the sampled window.
Scholl also noted the continuous sensor record showed dissolved oxygen falling below the 6 milligrams per liter threshold for a few days during the monitoring period and that water temperature approached the state threshold of 29.4°C on some measurements. She cautioned the dataset is seasonal and limited in duration.
The consultants collected continuous sensor data (pressure, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity) for roughly 47 days and supplemented those data with multiple grab samples timed to comparable tides. Scholl said nitrogen analyses had just been returned to the team and that she expected a short memo summarizing the full water‑quality results within days. “We literally have just gotten it back a couple days ago,” she said of the nitrogen results.
Participants asked whether sampling inside the nearby impounded freshwater pond had been done; Scholl said the team had not sampled inside the pond and that the pond’s water‑quality contribution will require separate sampling. Attendees also referenced prior sampling at other Blue Fish River sites and downstream Duxbury Bay measurements showing elevated total dissolved nitrogen, underscoring potential watershed‑scale nutrient sources.
The project team said the water‑quality memo and final report will be posted to town/task‑force web pages and publicized locally. The final report is due at the end of the grant period; consultants encouraged the task force and select board to use the report to pursue targeted grant funding and next‑step engineering.
