Thank You to CWMN Volunteers for a Great 2025 Sampling Season
The 2025 Community Water Monitoring Network (CWMN) season is officially complete!
To every volunteer who made this water sampling season possible: thank you for your early mornings, muddy boots, and unwavering dedication. You make this work possible!
For 30 years, this program has been at the heart of our water quality efforts—thanks to more than 50 dedicated volunteers who rise early on the second Thursday of each month, May through October, to collect samples at 41 sites across 11 Watershed communities.
Before most of us have even had our morning coffee, CWMN volunteers are out at 6 a.m., wading into brooks, leaning over bridges, and navigating muddy riverbanks to collect water samples.
Each volunteer carefully fills three bottles—two that head to the lab for bacteria and nutrient testing, and one that is tested at the NepRWA office for pH. They also record dissolved oxygen, temperature, and other field observations that help us understand how healthy our River, ponds, and streams are.
This year’s weather was fairly typical—until July’s sampling day, when volunteers braved nearly three inches of rain in just a few hours. Despite the downpour, everyone powered through, proving once again that CWMN volunteers are an unstoppable bunch.
Throughout the season, some sites ran nearly dry due to the ongoing drought, while others surged with runoff after heavy rain.
Along the way, our volunteers spotted plenty of geese and watched how the River changed month to month—acting as our eyes and ears in the field.
We’re incredibly grateful to the volunteer team that makes this possible:
- 41 water samplers
- 6 dissolved oxygen monitors
- 4 drop-off coordinators
- Milton Police Department, Norwood Civic Center, and Walpole Town Hall, which host sample drop-off locations
Where We Sample
Our sampling network spans the Neponset Watershed—from small ponds to major river segments:
- Boston: Mother Brook, Sprague Pond
- Canton: Beaver Meadow Brook, East Branch, Massapoag Brook, Mainstem of the Neponset River, Pecunit Brook, Ponkapoag Brook, Pequit Brook, Reservoir Pond
- Dedham: Mother Brook
- Foxborough: Crackrock Pond
- Medfield: Mine Brook
- Milton: Mainstem of the Neponset River, Pine Tree Brook, Unquity Brook, Balster Brook
- Norwood: Ellis Pond, Germany Brook, Hawes Brook, Meadow Brook, Mainstem of the Neponset River, Traphole Brook
- Sharon: Beaver Brook, Mann’s Pond, Sucker Brook, Massapoag Brook
- Stoughton: Pinewood Pond, Steep Hill Brook
- Walpole: Turner’s Pond, Mainstem of the Neponset River, Spring Brook, Traphole Brook, Willett Pond
- Westwood: Petee’s Pond, Purgatory Brook, Mill Brook
Each bottle collected contributes to a bigger picture of the Neponset River’s health.
CWMN data feeds directly into our Annual Water Quality Report (coming February/March) and the Three Rivers Report Card event—where the Neponset, Charles, and Mystic rivers are graded on water quality.
A special thank you to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) lab team for their ongoing support and analysis.
And to NepRWA Environmental Science Fellow Meher Khanna for expertly managing the program and keeping everything running smoothly throughout the season!
For any questions about the CWMN program, please email Meher at khanna@neponset.org
Volunteers Make CWMN Possible — Join us!
Without question, the success of our Community Water Monitoring Network (CWMN) water testing program is due to our volunteers. Volunteers take water samples at various sites throughout the Neponset River Watershed, from May through October. Training and supplies are provided by NepRWA staff. Learn more about CWMN.
