Volunteers Are Going Knee-Deep Into The ‘Riffle’ Zone

By Kendra Bobowick

An appear for volunteers to join conservationists along Newtown’s waterways promises a glimpse into the secret life of the “riffle dwelling, benthic, macroinvertebrates.”

“Those are what we’re looking for — aquatic insects in deep, fast water. Everything down in the rocks,” Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited chapter President James Belden said with a laugh.

The Trout Unlimited chapter will again conduct a macroinvertebrate sampling event in Newtown to help assess the biological health of streams, with particular emphasis on Deep Brook and the Pootatuck River. The fall macroinvertebrate sampling will be Saturday morning, October 18. The day will begin with an introduction and training at 9. The location will be announced. Lunch will be supplied. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up soon; contact chapter Conservation Chair Joe Hovious at jchovious@snet.net or Mr Belden at jbeldenpootatuck@yahoo.com.

“By the time you leave you’ll know what a riffle dweller is, you’ll know about the habitat, and you’ll get your hands and feet wet,” Mr Belden promised. The water-dwelling “bugs” without backbones could include everything “from May flies to crayfish,” he said.

Mr Hovious noted that a lot can be learned from the macroinvertibrates. “They live here. They can give you a picture of what’s happening all the time,” he said. Compared to a water sample that offers a momentary glimpse, “the bugs are there and affected every day,” Mr Belden noted. “The sampling gives us the best assessment of water quality in the streams,” he said.

What does their presence mean? “Some organisms can only live in the highest water quality,” Mr Hovious noted. If those are the macros that turn up, that is good news, he said. Other forms of macroinvertibrates can survive in a lower quality, however.

While areas along Deep Brook and the Pootatuck River have been a primary focus for Trout Unlimited, the town officials will also be looking at other streams and new points this fall, including some additional open space acquisitions on Pond Brook and the Halfway River. Both are valuable resources, Mr Belden said, and have become part of the public domain.

Mr Hovious anticipates teams will also test spots along these streams. While volunteers are encouraged to bring wading boots if possible, not everyone will be getting their feet wet on October 18.

“We need people who will remain on the bank and sift through the organisms,” he said.

How do the four waterways compare? The Pootatuck tops the list. “It has a good history of the quality of water as evidenced by macroinvertibrates,” Mr Hovious said. “It is rich and diverse.”

Deep Brook is also diverse, “but less so,” he said. One area “particularly around the agricultural fields” where Deep Brook flows into the Pootatuck past the end of Trades Lane is of greater concern, indicated Mr Hovious. As one recent intern had indicated, he said, “It needs careful review.”

All data collected is shared with the state as part of its water monitoring efforts.