The North Chuctanunda Creek has seen its share of attention over the past three years during annual cleanups organized by the Montgomery County Water Quality Coordinating Committee.
This year, the committee is looking for suggestions for another creek, stream or river that could use a little sprucing up.
The search for a new cleanup site was announced last week by committee chairman Patrick Clear during an annual update for the county’s Board of Supervisors.
Roughly 20 people pulled about 800 pounds of trash out of the North Chuctanunda Creek last year, and the three-year effort recovered 5,000 pounds of rubbish altogether, he said.
“It’s gotten pretty clean, although there’s garbage to pick up every time. We’d like to bring our volunteers to some other place in the county,” Clear said.
Small streams anywhere in the county, a section of shoreline along the Mohawk River or other sites will be considered.
The only challenge, Clear said, is the lack of public access to shorelines such as along the Mohawk.
“So much of it is either inaccessible or privately owned,” Clear said.
The 12-member county committee, established in 1991, is one of dozens formed throughout the state to coordinate water quality efforts by members of the public, government and different agencies.
Oversight and administrative work for the committees is handled by the county Soil and Water Conservation District office.
Another change this year, Clear said, affects the American Water Works Association’s annual water-tasting competition, which until now was judged at the New York State Fair.
Starting this year, the New York section of the AWWA will be judging New York state’s drinking water during the group’s annual meeting to be held in Saratoga Springs April 20–22.
The change puts the state’s competition in a better position to join the nationwide competition because of the time frame, said Jessica Parker, deputy director of the New York section of the AWWA.
Before, the samples were judged at the state fair in the summer and then had to wait until June of the next year to enter into the nationwide competition.
The new format will see the New York champion chosen in April and then entered into the nationwide contest in June, Parker said.
Membership in the AWWA will be required before entering as part of the new changes. Parker said most of the entrants in the annual contest are already members. A list of AWWA members is not published, she said.
Those interested in suggesting a cleanup location for the annual September event can contact the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District office at 853-4015. More information on the water contest can be found on the Web site of the AWWA New York section at www.nysawwa.com.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
