Summary of Specifications:
The Orange County Planning Department is seeking proposals for water quality monitoring services. The Contractor shall provide the necessary labor, material and equipment to collect samples in the field; to analyze these samples, and prepare written reports describing the results of these analyses. The purpose of this project is to provide ambient water quality data for sites throughout the Quassaick Creek Watershed in order to inform the watershed plan (anticipated for completion in late 2012), to provide a baseline against which future water quality data can be compared, and to monitor water quality changes at sites sampled in previous years by the Orange County Water Authority (OCWA) and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The OCWA’s data, which is countywide and ranges from 2004 to 2010, is online at http://waterauthority.orangecountygov.com/streams.html The general approach planned for this project is to use collection and analysis of macroinvertebrates, and measurement of certain chemical and physical parameters, to assess existing in-stream water quality conditions at sites distributed throughout the Watershed. The firm chosen will work with the OCPD and local stakeholders to select sites to monitor. Factors to consider for site selection could include, but are not limited to: locations of municipal water supplies; stormwater management; significant aquatic habitat; and recreational uses
