Communities Investigating Their Environment (CITE)

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Participants:

Adult Community Members

Subject:

Community Science Project focused on Water Quality

Duration:

On-Going

Location:

Louisiana

CITE: Communities Investigating Their Environment

Overview:

CITE is a community science (science generated by the public) project that is shaped and implemented by local stakeholders. The primary objective is to engage community members in designing and implementing a water quality monitoring project for a local waterway of concern. The project includes water quality testing equipment stored at local locations, extensive training for participants, and online resources.

Activities Include:

A community listening session on water quality concerns and priorities.
Hiring a CITE Steward. Click on the link for a position description.
Assembling an Advisory Team to help shape the project. Complete this interest form if you would like to serve on this team.
Recruiting Volunteer Stewards to collect water quality data. Complete this interest form if you would like to serve as a Volunteer Steward.
Determing which waterway to test and which tests to conduct.
Collecting, entering, and analyzing water quality data.
Designing and implementing an action project.

Outcomes Include:

Local water quality knowledge for community members.
Stakeholder collaboration throughout the project.
Increased data-driven action for local waterways and the community.

Testing is scheduled to begin July 2023

St. John the Baptist Parish

Overview of the Parish:

St. John the Baptist Parish (SJBP) is considered one of the River Parishes of the Mississippi River Delta, as the Mississippi River splits the parish in two. The Northern part of the parish is marked by the brackish Lake Maurepas which is open to Lake Pontchartrain, a brackish estuary that marks the Eastern boundary of the parish, and the Southern extreme of the parish is marked by Lac des Allemands. Other rivers include the Blind River that runs along the parish's Northern border and transports freshwater into Lake Maurepas. The parish is rich with wetlands, including Bald Cypress swamps in the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. Natural bayous and human-made canals criss-cross this landscape of water and earth to connect communities, natural areas, and industry. For an in-depth look at the water resources available in the parish visit the US Geological Survey's "Water Resources of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana."

Though surface water is the focus of CITE, drinking water is a resource that can often be impacted by the water quality of surface water. In SJBP there are districts that oversee the drinking water for that area. District 1, which includes Reserve, Garyville, and Mt. Airy, uses the Mississippi River as its water source. District 2, which includes Lucy, Edgard, and Wallace, also uses the Mississippi River as its water source. District 3 services LaPlace and uses the Ruddock aquifer, mostly groundwater, as its water source. For more information on the water quality in these districts visit the Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database.

Visit L'Observateur's "Community Invited to Monitor Health of Local Waterways" to learn about our recent community listening session in SJBP.

Online Tools for Investigating Local Water Quality

Visit these resources to learn more about water in your community.

Communities Investigating Their Environment (CITE)