Friends of Sligo Creek’s Water Quality Monitoring program includes measurements designed to evaluate and track the Creek’s biological, physical, and chemical health. We post the results of these monitoring efforts here on our website (see below), and regularly share them with government agencies such as Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC, or Parks.)

• Our Water Quality volunteer team conducts monthly sampling throughout the year at seven sites along the Creek’s middle reach, measuring physical parameters like temperature, pH and conductivity, as well as pollutants like ammonia-N, Coliform and chlorine. See the Testing Parameters and Equipment table below for details on these parameters. Our monitoring data is summarized on the Water Quality Monitoring Data pages.

• In the summer of 2020, we began sampling for turbidity, Coliform, and dissolved oxygen levels as part of a regional consortium, the ARK/FOSC Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring program. Led by Anacostia Riverkeeper (ARK), we partnered with ARK again in 2021 and 2022. You can view the results on the ARK/FOSC page.

• In addition, we partnered before the pandemic with Nature Forward (formerly Audubon Naturalist Society) to help track Sligo’s biological state, keeping track of macro-invertebrates, insects, fish and other animals at our sampling sites on quarterly basis. This was suspended but has now resumed. In Section 1 at the Pepco power line, macro-invertebrate testing started in Spring 2022.

• Our Water WatchDogs program allows citizens to report suspected water pollution or other unusual water quality issues directly to DEP and Friends of Sligo Creek. Report pollution via the Water WatchDogs reporting form or the email [email protected].

• Finally, our Winter Salt Watch team tests the Creek and its tributaries for road salt runoff. Visit the Salt Monitoring Initiatives page for details on the program and how to become a Salt Watch tester.