Texas Stream Team Optical Brightener training with the San Marcos River Rangers.
Optical brightener monitoring involves testing for synthetic compounds commonly used in laundry detergents and other cleaning products. These compounds make fabrics appear brighter by absorbing UV light and re-emitting it as visible blue light. The presence of optical brighteners in a water body may indicate that untreated wastewater is entering the water, as these anthropogenic compounds are not naturally occurring in the environment. Potential sources include septic system leaks, sewage overflows, and lower treatment wastewater treatment systems. Monitoring optical brighteners helps identify bacteria sources and should be conducted at the same sampling time and location as bacteria monitoring.
We will learn indoors, outdoors, and along shorelines, so please come prepared for the environment & weather! Training locations are generally accessible but may require participants to move over dirt track, trail, & shorelines. All locations have free parking within a 3-10 minute walk from our initial meeting location.
Availability:
This training is open to the public (14 yrs or older, minors must have a guardian present); however, spots are limited.
Experience / Pre-Course Work:
Standard Core, Bacteria, & 6+ months of monitoring in the field prior experience necessary, all training materials provided.
~20 minutes of pre-course work is required prior to the training session.
Location / Parking:
Location is the Meadows Center (Spring Lake Hall) on the Texas State University Campus.
We will be utilizing their indoor Conference Room & the Stabilized Shoreline along Spring Lake.
Free Parking is provided on weekends within reasonable walking distance.
Registration / Information:
To find out more information or reserve a spot, you must contact:
Adam Berglund (Coordinator - San Marcos River Rangers)
RiverRangers@SanMarcosRiver.Org