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Britta Suppes, Monitoring Coordinator,
Capital Region Watershed District | |
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On Wednesday, July 20th, Campers went to St. Anthony Outfall to meet Britta Suppes and Joe Sellner from Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD). They told campers about how the whole subwatershed drains to this point on the river, including the storm drain campers are studying. They also demonstrated water quality testing and told campers about sources of stormwater pollution and how to prevent some of those sources.
I had a chance to ask Britta some questions about her work:
Q: What do you do for your job?
A: At CRWD, I serve as the Water Quality
Monitoring Coordinator. In my position, I coordinate all aspects of our
Monitoring, Research, and Maintenance program, including monitoring
station management, equipment purchasing, data collection,
data analysis, and reporting. Through our monitoring program, we
actively monitor all District water resources (stormwater, lakes, and
wetlands) and utilize the data to inform project design and overall
management decisions for water quality improvement.
Q: What do you like best about your job?
A: The most exciting thing about my job is that
I get to enter storm tunnels to monitor stormwater flowing through
them—it is both thrilling and interesting being in St. Paul’s
underground! But I’d say the best part about my job is taking
scientifically collected data and applying it to solve real-life water
quality problems that show measureable results and improvements in water
resources.
Q: What is your favorite thing about water?
A: My favorite thing about water is that it
drives most every process on earth (aside from tectonic activity!)—our
climate, our landscapes, our terrestrial ecosystems, and of course, all
living things. Water is a necessity of life. I am particularly
interested in watershed management because it is fascinating to think
of all the pathways water can take from starting as a falling rain drop
to eventually ending up in the ocean. Then to think about how land use,
human activity, and natural processes and
landscapes can influence that rain drop along the way, such as reduced
water quality, an eroded hillside, or the formation of something
incredible like the Grand Canyon.
Q: What is your favorite place on the Mississippi River?
A: My favorite
place on the Mississippi River is right at the end of Pike Island at the
confluence of the Mississippi River and the Minnesota River— I have
visited here many times in both the summer and winter,
and each time I am amazed thinking about these two very different water
resources coming together. Both rivers come from contrasting
landscapes, which is very apparent when you look at the color of the
water. The Mississippi comes from the northern boreal
forests and is mostly clear, and the Minnesota comes from the southern
farm country and is brown and turbid. It looks like coffee meeting
cream!
Q: What do you think people should know about water or that might
surprise them about water?
A: A major source
of pollution in Minnesota’s waters (lakes, streams, wetlands, and
stormwater) is SALT! Salt (or Chloride) is used for de-icing roads in
the winter months. Once salt-laden snow and ice melts in
the spring, it runs off the streets into water bodies. Once that salt
is dissolved in a lake or stream, it cannot be removed so concentrations
in Minnesota water bodies are continuing to build up over time. Salt in
fresh water systems can be very harmful to
fish and plants that are used to salt-free environments. CRWD actively
monitors chloride in the District in both lakes and stormwater in order
to better understand the long term effects of chloride on water quality.
Thanks Britta and Joe for your time today and all the insights about stormwater!
