What do we test?

OAR's monitoring program focuses on a set of interrelated chemical and physical parameters that can be directly measured in the river and are relevant to habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures. These parameters are also among those used by the Mass DEP for setting water quality standards and regulating wastewater discharges (NPDES permits).

Parameters: (More...)
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Phosphorus (total and dissolved)
• Nitrogen (nitrate, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen)
• Solids (total suspended)
• pH
• Water temperature
• Streamflow (More...)
• Groundwater levels
• Availability of physical habitat (More...)

Other sources of data:
Groundwater levels
• Groundwater monitoring well in Acton.

Streamflow data
• Assabet River near Mill Rd.
• Assabet River in Maynard
• Concord River in Lowell
• Nashoba Brook in Concord
• Nashoba Brook in Acton