The Kentucky River

Phase I: Grab Sample & Field Chemistry Workshops

April 12 (Thursday) - Lexington

April 14 - Richmond

April 14 - Whitesburg or Jackson

April 21 - Midway

April 28 - Lexington

April 28 - Danville

May 3 (Thursday) - Richmond

Phase II: Biology and Habitat Assessment Workshops

May 12 - Lexington

June 2 - Richmond

Sampling Events

May 18th and 19th - Spring Pesticide Sampling Event

June 15th thru 25th - Biology and Habitat Assessment

July 13th and 14th - Summer Pathogen Event

August 10th and 11th - Summer Followup Pathogen Event

September 14th thru 17th - Fall Low-Flow Event (for nutrients, chemicals, metals)

Other Events

January 19, 2013 - 16th Annual Protection Conference, Midway College

2012 KRWW Volunteer Registration Form

Keep up with Kentucky River Watershed Watch

activities and annoncements by

reading our E-Newsletters.

Kentucky River Watershed Watch: A Summary of Volunteer Water Quality Sampling Efforts in the Kentucky River Basin from 1999-2009

We are pleased to announce that the “Ten Year” (1999-2009) Summary of Sampling in the Kentucky River Basin has now been completed and is available for download and review. Actually, the report includes a summary of eleven years of data so maybe we should call this the “Big Ten” Report (inside joke for all those college sports fans from the north).

As many of you know, the KRWW was established in 1997 and our sampling report was completed in 1999. One thing that is readily apparent from the "Ten Year Summary Report" is that we continue to have pathogen problems across the basin. It is encouraging that the data from the past sampling has been used by various volunteers to raise awareness of this issue across the basin and has resulted in several projects that have been funded by USEPA, the Kentucky Division of Water (e.g. 319 program) as well as the watershed seed-grants by the Kentucky River Authority. Many of these projects are highlighted on this web site. It is hoped that this report will provide a valuable perspective on water quality trends in the Kentucky River Basin, and provide yet another tool for improving the water quality across the basin.

Draft KRWW Annual Work Plan Available Review

The KRWW Board has been drafting an Annual Work Plan for the organization. You can review the draft of this plan by clicking here. Any comments should be submitted to Mary Beth Robson. The plan includes the Goals, Objectives, and Activities for the following KRWW functions:

Function 1: Volunteer Training and Communications

Function 2: Sampling

Function 3: Data Management

Function 4: Translate Water Quality Data to Action

Function 5: Fundraising and Financial Management

Function 6: Organizational Management and Miscellaneous

The Kentucky Geological Survey recently released a new, detailed map of the Kentucky River Basin. The full-page map is available online, or a printed version can be purchased through the KGS Recent Publications page.

Find Answers to KRWW Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here.

If you would like to donate to KRWW, please click below:

NOTE: These buttons link to independent nonprofit and donation websites that are not managed by the University of Kentucky. The University and the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute take no responsibility for the content and/or operation of these external sites.

Kentucky River Watershed Watch is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization formed in 1997 through the cooperation of the Sierra Club, the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and the Division of Water's Water Watch program. Its membership focuses water quality monitoring and improvement efforts within the Kentucky River Basin. The basin extends over much of the central and eastern portions of the state and is home to approximately 710,000 Kentuckians. The watershed includes all or parts of 42 counties and drains over 7,000 square miles, with a tributary network of more than 15,000 miles.

For purposes of watershed management, the Kentucky River Basin has been subdivided into 97 smaller sub-basins and watersheds using the USGS Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) classification system. Further details about the individual watersheds are provided in the Kentucky River Basin Management Plan.

KRWW has received funding from the Kentucky River Authority, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Bluegrass PRIDE, Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Kentucky Division of Water, Sierra Club, Brown-Forman and the Virginia Environmental Endowment. It is also affiliated with the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. KRWW's goals include:

providing current data on general water quality conditions to local stream-based organizations working to protect their watershed;
providing widespread screening for potential water quality problems to resource management agencies;
providing auxiliary information to assist resource management agencies in meeting specific operational and management objectives; and
identifying specific impacts to water quality through targeted observations and measurements.

The KRWW Scientific Advisory Board developed a plan which describes water quality monitoring objectives, methods, parameters, quality assurance, and data management.

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This website possible with assistance from the Kentucky River Authority.