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Early spring in Texas means chilly mornings, budding trees, emerging wildflowers and warm afternoons — and some of Texas’ most idyllic conditions for fieldwork.  Recently the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) water quality monitoring team headed to East Texas to conduct routine water quality monitoring at Town Creek.  

The team included Research Specialist Shalynne Postma, Student Technician Darynne Jester and Communications Specialist Cameron Castilaw. 

They performed routine data collection, measuring flow rate, pH, velocity and other instream conditions, and collecting water samples to check for E. Coli. 

Click through this photo album to see the team’s process, water monitoring tools and Town Creek. 

Follow TWRI on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes looks at our water quality monitoring process. 

Photos by Sadie Kammlah, TWRI communications student intern. 

Water from Town Creek is poured into a sample container to take to the laboratory.

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Castilaw aids in flow data collection by pulling the m9 Doppler boat across the creek.

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Jester was all smiles while calibrating the m9 Doppler boat to collect flow data.

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Town Creek flowing on a March morning.

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Postma collecting data at the second site.

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An up-close look at a freshly collected water sample.

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Jester preparing to record data readings from the bank of the creek.

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Some brightly colored biofilm underfoot during monitoring preparations.

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Postma dialed in while gathering velocity readings.

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Wrapping up a full day of monitoring, now off to the lab to drop off water samples.

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