A pretty little brook bubbles down off the mountain in North Springfield, VT. It tumbles along Spoonerville Road and winds through neighborhoods and backyards. A biomass incinerator is being planned for this
- Spoonerville Brook Scene
community; the leach field for 129,000 gallons of wastewater (“concentrated groundwater”) is sited close to Spoonerville Brook, which empties into the Black River a thousand feet away.
The Black River Action Team will be monitoring the health of this brook starting this summer, so we can build a database of current conditions for the next couple of years. That way, if and when the incinerator is built, we’ll be better able to track those conditions, recognize trends, and note any changes. One way we’ll monitor is by doing an annual “inventory” of stream creatures — certain insect larvae live part of their lives under the surface and a few are particularly sensitive to adverse conditions. Another way we’ll monitor is by sampling the water itself, recording temperature, pH, and the presence and levels of metals and dissolved materials through conductivity.
To do this, we need a specialized piece of equipment. To buy it, we’re participating in an innovative fundraising effort: https://www.cleanwaterfuture.org/projects/save-the-spoonerville/.
Every dollar helps, and pledges will only be collected once (and if) the $200 goal is reached before the deadline; it would be best if the $200 goal is reached by the end of April, so the BRAT has time to order the meter and begin monitoring in May.
Learn more about the BRAT at www.BlackRiverActionTeam.org. Donations made out to “BRAT” may also be mailed to the organization at 101 Perley Gordon Road, Springfield VT 05156. Please note “WATER METER” in the memo section; a pledge will be made in your name.