Overview

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) initiated the establishment of the Remote Water Quality Monitoring Network (RWQMN) in January, 2010. This monitoring network continuously measures and reports water quality conditions of smaller rivers and streams located in northern tier Pennsylvania and southern tier New York. The data helps agency officials track existing water quality conditions and any changes in them on an ongoing, real-time basis.

The stations are operating in areas where drilling for natural gas is most active, as well as other locations where no drilling activities are planned so SRBC can collect control-data. A contribution from East Resources provided the initial funding for the project. In 2010, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provided funding for the expansion of the network into the New York portion of the basin. SRBC is covering the ongoing maintenance costs.

The monitoring network provides constant data collection with instruments sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in water quality on a frequency that will allow background conditions and any changes to them to be documented throughout the year. The following five water quality parameters are being measured at each station:

• Temperature
• pH – the measure of acidity or alkalinity, with normal ranges between 6 and 9
• Conductance – the ability of the water to conduct electricity, which typically reflects the amount of dissolved solids or chlorides in the water
• Dissolved oxygen – amount of oxygen in the water available to aquatic life, with levels best above 4-5 mg/L
• Turbidity – water clarity, or the amount of particulate matter in the water column