Wetlands

Wetlands come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  “Wetland” is a broad term that indicates an area with hydric soils (wet long enough to develop an oxygen depleted layer) and the ability to sustain aquatic plants. A classic Maine wetland, a slow flowing...

Well Water Testing with AWWA

On January 28th and 29th, the AWWA team and volunteers went back to school to test students’ well water at the Acton Elementary School and the Wakefield Paul School. This time of year starts to get exciting again for team AWWA.  After a slow few months getting...

Impervious Surfaces

An impervious surface is a surface that does not allow water to pass through it.  Most impervious surfaces are artificial or “man-made”, but some surfaces can become impervious naturally, like a herd path or a walking path from soil compaction. Rooftops,...

Eutrophication

Depending on the source you look at, “eutrophication” refers to the process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates (Art, 1993).  Typically, when a water body undergoes eutrophication, it...

Riparian Zone

The riparian zone is the interface between the land and a stream or river.  Riparian zones are EXTREMELY important landscapes acting as buffers or “biofilters” that protect aquatic environments from excessive sedimentation, polluted surface runoff, and...