Water Quality Monitoring Throughout the Marsh Creek Watershed
Many people and groups have been monitoring water quality in Marsh Creek since 2000. Water quality monitoring can tell us important information about the health of a creek including if it is too warm for certain kinds of fish and if water quality is improving over time.
There are several ways to monitor water quality. One way is to use a probe that measures parameters such as water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and turbidity. Another way is to collect benthic (“bottom-dwelling”) macroinvertebrates (BMI), small aquatic animals without backbones that live on the bottom of creeks and can be seen without a microscope. BMI are useful indicators of water quality because they differ in pollution tolerance.
Between 2018 and 2023, American Rivers partnered with Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed and Earth Team to conduct monthly water quality monitoring at up to 14 sites along Marsh Creek and tributaries (Sand and Deer Creeks). American Rivers has also been working with Applied Marine Sciences (AMS) to monitor BMI on Marsh Creek every spring. The monitoring sites are located up and downstream of restoration projects where trees and native plants have been planted on the banks to measure possible water quality improvements over time.
To learn more about water quality in Marsh Creek, click on each resource below:
You can make a difference if you see a problem on Marsh Creek!
To Report Real Time Illegal Dumping please contact your local response agency:
Here are ways you can take action if you see a problem on Marsh Creek:
There are lots of ways you can help improve Marsh Creek!
Here are some ideas:
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The Mission of the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District is to Facilitate Conservation and Stewardship of the Natural Resources in Contra Costa County.