Checking In with @waterkeepermark and Justinn Overton from Coosa Riverkeeper
This week for the Checking In series, Mark speaks with people from Waterkeeper Alliance member organizations about citizen science, Covid-19, and more. Here, Justinn Overton answers Mark’s questions.
Justinn Overton is Executive Director for Coosa Riverkeeper. Coosa Riverkeeper is a Waterkeeper Alliance member and Swim Guide Affiliate based in Mt Laurel, Alabama. Justinn has a deep family connection to the Coosa Valley and she’s proud to work to restore and protect the Coosa River. Click here to learn more about how Coosa Riverkeeper shares water quality data on Swim Guide.
MM: Tell me a little bit about yourself and your watershed.
JO: My name is Justinn Overton and I am the Executive Director for Coosa Riverkeeper. I grew up going to this river and spent many days in the bottom of a Jon boat as my mom and dad fished and I anxiously waited to swim. The Coosa is one of Alabama’s most developed and biodiverse rivers. It is home to the greatest mass extinction in North American history when it was dammed seven times and changed the ecology forever. Our organization was founded in 2010 after the Coosa River was named one of the most endangered rivers in the U.S. by American Rivers. Our organization works to answer simple questions like, Is it safe to swim here? and Are the fish safe to eat? by focusing on patrolling, educating, and advocating for the river.
MM: How connected is your community to the water?
JO: It’s hard to meet a person in our watershed that doesn’t have a single memory of fishing, boating, swimming, or visiting the Coosa River. The communities on the river rely on the river for local economies, for recreation, and for sustenance. Many municipalities market the river to lure families to invest in lake property! For some, the river is a way of life.
MM: What is the role of water quality testing in your work? How do you share results publicly?
JO: Sharing our water quality data through the Coosa River Swim Guide is a vital part of our work at Coosa Riverkeeper. People trust us to give them the skinny before they dip and we take that responsibility seriously. Our Swim Guide program has grown rapidly in the number of sites and notoriety with the communities along the Coosa River. We share our results with the public through social media, a text message alert system, our website, the Waterkeeper Swim Guide app, traditional news/print media, and permanent signage.
MM: Has the health pandemic affected your work? How?
JO: Yes, we’d had to institute new protocols for the field, lab, and general operations. We have seen a huge uptick in citizen complaints about pollution simply because the weather has been great and more people are on the water.
MM: If you were a fish, what would it be?
JO: I would be a redeye bass. They prefer the skinny waters (or creeks) of our watershed and have a cult-like following because of their feisty nature and need for clean water to survive.
MM: Is there a role for citizen science in your watershed?
JO: Yes, not everyone has the ability to give financially so one of the best ways for someone to get involved and support our work is to join our Citizen Science Initiative. We partner with folks who live on the lakes to monitor water temperature to predict the bass spawn in the late winter, and throughout the growing season they use Secchi disks to monitor water clarity to better predict areas with harmful algae.
Read more from the Checking In with @waterkeepermark series here.
Connect with us on Twitter, @LOWaterkeeper and @waterkeepermark.
