Earthreports Inc

COMMUNITY-LED POLLUTION MONITORING, REPORTING, RESEARCH AND MITIGATION PROJECT OVERVIEW PATUXENT RIVERKEEPER (PRK) WILL MOBILIZE A CORPS OF DATA-EQUIPPED CITIZEN-SCIENTISTS TO USE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES TO MONITOR POLLUTION, MITIGATE ITS HARMFUL EFFECTS AND SHOW MARYLANDERS THE RIVERS TRUE CONDITION SO THEY CAN KNOWLEDGEABLY ADVOCATE FOR STRONGER ANTI-POLLUTION MEASURES. PRK WILL INSTALL CONTINUOUS SENSING INSTRUMENTS DOWNSTREAM FROM A SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT TO TRANSMIT REAL-TIME WATER QUALITY/POLLUTION DATA TO A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE WEBSITE. IF A SPIKE IN A A MEASURED PARAMETER INDICATES A POSSIBLE DISCHARGE OF UNTREATED SEWAGE, A PROJECT VOLUNTEER WILL COLLECT WATER SAMPLES AT THE LOCATION AND TAKE THEM FOR ANALYSIS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDS CHESAPEAKE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY (CBL). THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PURCHASE AND EQUIP A 41 SHOAL-DRAFT RESEARCH VESSEL FOR USE BY CBL SCIENTISTS AND PRK VOLUNTEERS FOR POLLUTION MONITORING ALONG WITH MARINE RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND SAV RESTORATION. THE BOAT WILL PUBLICIZE THE PROJECTS ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH FINDINGS DIRECTLY TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES BY DOCKING AT THE PARKS, BOAT LAUNCHES AND PIERS ALONG THE PATUXENT SO RESIDENTS CAN LEARN FIRST-HAND HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS THE RIVER.