SHERIDAN, Wyo. - As a result of the Elk Fire, one waterway in Sheridan County will receive extra water quality testing this year.
The Sheridan County Conservation District has announced that additional funding has been received for more thorough testing on the Tongue River.
The funds come from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Clean Water Act, reports Sheridan Media.
Since 1996, the District has performed water quality tests rotating every 3 years between the Tongue River, the Goose Creek and the Prairie Dog Watersheds.
This year just happens to be the Tongue River’s turn in the rotation, and of the 3 watersheds, the District says the Tongue River is likely to have experienced the most impact from the Elk Fire.
Normally, the District gathers water samples for testing on 10 different days, between mid-May and mid-September.
District Manager Carrie Rogaczewski says about 2 additional water samples will be collected in late April and early May, and will be submitted for more thorough testing, for things such as turbidity monitoring, minerals, nutrients and carbons.
She explains how the idea for the additional testing came about, and how the District was able to get the funding:
"We had been approached about doing these additional tests. We then started making some contacts with DEQ and others just to see what potential funding might be out there and because we have a long history of working with them on grants and they had some funding available, we were able to work through a scope of work and budget pieces fairly quickly.”
Rogaczewski adds the District is waiting for approval from the state on its sampling analysis plan, before the water collecting and testing can be done.
