Monitoring Water Quality with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division
Author: Summer Wright
Faculty Supervisor: C. Tate Holbrook, Ph.D.
Abstract:
The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) seeks to protect and restore the environment through implementing laws, conducting research and field work, and implementing policies. I completed a service-learning internship with the Watershed Protection Branch of the EPD. They manage water resources through conducting field work, collecting data, and distributing permits to facilities that discharge wastewater in order to prevent harmful contaminants and pollution in Georgia’s waterways. They create models of water quality monitoring and waterways. I experienced the work of an Environmental Technician. I got to go out on the water collecting water samples and data from various sites in estuaries, sounds, and rivers that were only accessible through boat. I experienced wading through creeks in order to collect samples that contained various microbial lifeforms. The variables monitored are vital to a healthy water ecosystem. They are kept closely monitored in order to ensure the safety of humans, aquatic life, and the local environment. I got to work up close with different types of water quality, from poor to healthy. This internship expanded my knowledge of the scientific process that is involved in creating and maintaining a healthy environment for waterways.
