The Buzzards Bay Coalition’s long-standing Baywatcher’s water-quality monitoring program has been awarded an Environmental Merit Award - the highest honor from the New England Region of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Awarded by EPA since 1970, the Merit Awards honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the region's environment. This year's competition drew nearly 100 nominations from across New England.

For over twenty years the Baywatchers volunteer water-quality monitoring program has mobilized over 750 Buzzards Bay citizens to monitor the health the Bay at over 200 stations around the region an effort that has measured 43,681 dissolved oxygen and 11,170 nutrient samples over the last two decades.  As the largest coastal monitoring effort in Massachusetts, Baywatchers monitor more than a quarter of the state’s coastline.

There are over 25 sites just in Marion and Mattapoisett and the data collected by the volunteers has illustrated the growing impact of nitrogen pollution in Old Rochester’s coastal waters.

The citizen-based monitoring program was initiated in 1992 to evaluate nitrogen-related water quality and long term ecological trends in embayment health and encourage local citizens to be active stewards of their environment.

Water testing has been performed every five days in the summer for twenty consecutive years by highly-trained citizen volunteers whom are coordinated, trained and motivated by Tony Williams, Director of Monitoring Programs.  

“The best part of this program is working with this incredible group of volunteers who want to understand the health of their harbor and cove what they can do to improve it,” said Williams. “This award recognizes that all of their hard work really helps to restore clean water in Buzzards Bay.”

The data collected by the program forms the foundation of the Bay Coalition’s work to protect and restore the health of the Bay. It is also used by other organizations and agencies to create restoration or protection plans for the Bay and its tributaries. The data can be found at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/BayHealthData.