July 2, Monday: Water Quality Testing with the MVC

What’s Going on in the Tisbury Shellfish Department

July 2, Monday: Water Quality Testing with the MVC

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC), the Island’s regional permitting and planning body, regularly tests water quality in the Island’s major salt ponds, and works to identify eelgrass beds. The Tisbury Shellfish department assists in that effort.

On Monday, shellfish assistant constables Fred Benson and Nelson Sigelman assisted MVC water resources planner Sheri Caseau, and interns John Ferguson, Martha Diezemann and Eli Hanschka with the collection of water samples in Tashmoo Pond.

Weekly sampling is conducted throughout the summer. Data collected includes water temperature, salinity, pH, water clarity and dissolved oxygen. Nitrogen is a primary concern.

Ms. Caseau said fertilizer, septic systems and agriculture are major contributors of nitrogen, a nutrient that can spur algae blooms, which in turn degrade water quality.

MVC water resources planner Sheri Caseau (left) records data collected by interns John Ferguson and Martha Diezemann.

Eli Hanschka tests for water clarity in Tashmoo Pond.

Also Monday, assistant shellfish constable Nelson Sigelman dug out a sign buried in sand and rosa rugosa and no longer visible to beach goers and moved it to a corner of Tashmoo beach.