In November 2013, the Water Quality Program was requested to assist a class of Environmental Engineering students from UNR to help design and supervise their final project. The students needed to come up with a project that allowed them to analyze grab samples from the Lower Truckee River to determine the affect the ecosystem has on the available nutrients within the water column as it travels downstream, and what factors can be contributing to nutrients and the different types of issues it can bring up. The students learned how to properly grab samples from surface waters, what to look for when sampling i.e. invasive plants, types of non-point source pollution like cattle grazing on the river, illegal dumpsites and public recreation.
