The Stream Team is a collaborative effort between the Town and students in UMass Lowell's student chapter of the American Society of Civic Engineers (USACE). The Team assists the Engineering Division in improving water quality in waterways in Lexington.
What the Stream Team Does
The students support the Town by taking inventory of our outfalls (drains that empty into waterways) and investigating for illicit discharges.
Field sampling teams record various conditions at the time of sampling (e.g. temperature, precipitation) and collect water samples for laboratory testing. Laboratory testing is used to determine the presence and/or quantities of Escherichia coli (E.coli), surfactants, and ammonia. Elevated concentrations of these parameters are used to determine the source of contamination entering into the stormwater system.
With the help of the Stream Team, the Town has identified and removed several sources of pollutants that were discharging into our waterways.
Benefits of the Stream Team
The collaboration between the Town of Lexington and the UMASS Lowell ASCE Student Chapter provides two main benefits:
- The Town gets additional testing and analysis support to meet an unfunded mandate relating to storm water run-off from the EPA
- Students get real-world experience in stormwater management
