By CHAD COOPER
[email protected]
Buchanan County now has its first locally certified Virginia Save Our Streams trainers after completing a statewide water-quality monitoring certification program.
Big Sandy Soil and Water Conservation District Manager and Education Specialist Jeanne Presley, Grundy High School science teacher and 2025 Virginia Conservation Education Teacher of the Year Rochelle Deel and recent Grundy High School graduate and local conservationist Keyston Hartford recently completed Virginia Save Our Streams certification training, allowing them to train future water-quality monitors in Buchanan County.
The certification marks an important milestone for conservation education and environmental monitoring efforts in the county. Until now, residents interested in becoming certified water-quality monitors often had to travel outside the area for training opportunities.
The training was conducted on June 11 at Grundy High School by Maggie Dombroski of Chesterfield. Participants also completed hands-on fieldwork in a stream along Booth Branch, where they collected and identified aquatic organisms to measure stream health.
“Keyston, Rochelle and myself met with Maggie Dombroski from Chesterfield for the training at the Grundy Senior High School,” Presley said. “We went into the stream along Booth Branch and netted macroinvertebrates. It was very exciting to see that the stream was pretty healthy.”
During the training, participants identified several pollution-sensitive organisms living in the stream.
“We identified those living in the stream. There were caddisflies, hellgrammites and water pennies,” Presley said.
Virginia Save Our Streams has monitored water quality throughout the Commonwealth since 1989. The program helps determine whether streams are safe for swimming, fishing, recreation and drinking water sources.
Volunteers collect, count and identify benthic macroinvertebrates — small aquatic organisms that live in streams and have varying levels of tolerance to pollution. The number and diversity of those organisms are used to calculate a stream health score, providing a snapshot of a stream’s overall health.
The information gathered through the program is submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Chesapeake Bay Program, where it can be used to identify pollution concerns, target streams for additional monitoring, track restoration efforts, and educate the public.
Presley said the new certifications will create opportunities to expand the program throughout Buchanan County.
“We would love to be able to train all of the students in Buchanan County to become monitors for Save Our Streams,” Presley said. “We can now make that happen when we become trainers.”
For Deel, the certification provides a new educational tool for students at Grundy High School.
“I wanted to become a Water Quality Trainer so that I could continue water quality monitoring with my science classes,” Deel said. “As a certified trainer, I can train and certify water quality monitors, enabling them to complete the certification process themselves.”
Deel said the program offers students hands-on scientific experience while also helping them build credentials for future educational and career opportunities.
“While I am committed to continuing to monitor our streams and provide valuable environmental data, my primary goal is to benefit my students,” Deel said. “This program gives them a unique, hands-on opportunity to learn about benthic macroinvertebrates and how they serve as indicators of water quality.”
“In addition, earning this certification provides students with a valuable credential that can be included on their résumés and college applications, helping them prepare for future educational and career opportunities,” she said.
“We completed the Save Our Streams training on June 11. I had participated in the program a few times before, but this training was much more in-depth and hands-on,” Hartford said. “Mrs. Deel, Jeanne and I learned a great deal about macroinvertebrates and how to evaluate water quality by studying the density and diversity of those organisms in a stream using various tools and techniques.”
“Macroinvertebrates are small spineless organisms that live in the water and can be seen with the naked eye, including mayflies, hellgrammites and craneflies,” Hartford added. “We used nets to collect them, identified and counted each species, and then entered the data into a chart that assesses stream health and provides a water-quality score. We are very thankful to the Izaak Walton League and Maggie Dombroski for taking the time to travel here and provide the training. All three of us are excited to use what we learned to make a difference in Buchanan County and the region and to have a positive impact on our streams and local ecosystem.”
With Presley, Deel and Hartford now certified, local students and residents will have greater access to water-quality monitoring training and opportunities to participate in environmental stewardship efforts across Buchanan County.
