Water Quality Monitor Campaign Sees Success

The DCWF’s Water Quality Meter Campaign was initiated in the early part of 2020 and will continue during 2021. Board Members and Advisors to the Foundation realized that assisting the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to deploy “state of the art” meters is critical to ensuring good water quality in Deep Creek Lake (DCL) for both the near term and long term. Biologists and other DNR Staff identify, through the data collected by the meters, potential impacts on Water Quality for further investigation and/or the application of appropriate remedies.

Due to the generosity of a wide variety of donors responding to our campaign and associated requests for support, the DCWF is able to purchase FOUR Water Quality Meters which will be donated to DNR for exclusive use at DCL in the coming years. The purchase of these meters represents a donation from the DCWF in the amount of $60,000 as part of the Foundation’s public-private partnership with the DNR which benefits DCL and the watershed. But there is more! In addition to all the above good news, the Property Owners’ Association of Deep Creek Lake (POA) also made a one-time contribution of approximately $15,000 to the DCWF enabling the purchase of a total of FIVE WATER QUALITY METERS which will be donated to DNR. These new meters will enable DNR to increase the breadth and specificity of water quality data which can be shared with the public.

YSI, the company which makes the meters, assisted with very reasonable pricing for this multiple meter purchase. In addition, the DCL Manager, Eric Null, and Natural Resources Biologists Julie Bortz and Christine King were instrumental in making certain the meters purchased by the Foundation and the POA contained the proper specifications to ensure their compatibility with those purchased by the DCL Manager for use at DCL.

From the Foundation’s perspective, the WQM Campaign thus far has been truly a successful team effort on the part of many folks and as the campaign continues this year we hope many more folks will donate to it so the Foundation will be able to do even more for DCL and the Deep Creek Watershed.

Please visit the DCWF website at: www.deepcreekwatershedfoundation.org for more information and ways to donate.