Water Quality Monitoring
Gold Ridge RCD monitors water quality throughout Salmon Creek Watershed, the Estero Americano, Green Valley Creek, Willow Creek, and Dutch Bill Creek.
Water quality parameters include temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, pH, turbidity, conductivity, and nutrient levels. The RCD montiors these parameters in a number of programs. Water quality monitoring is performed with permanently deployed in-stream sondes (water quality measuring devices) that gather information continuously, with handheld sondes used directly by staff to gather one-time measurements during monthly monitoring, and with water samples that have been lab-analyzed for nutrients.
Monitoring in Green Valley, Dutch Bill and Willow Creek is performed by permanently deployed sondes. Monitoring in Salmon Creek is performed by deployed sondes, monthly one-time measurements and lab-analyzed samples taken during storm events to monitor stormwater quality for nutrients. Monitoring in the Estero Americano is performed during storm events only with one-time measurements and lab-analyzed samples.
Monitoring plans adhere to the State Water Board’s Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP).
Read the Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Reports on the individual watershed pages.