October 16, 2025

2025 Sampling Overview - preliminary results

Please note that this is preliminary data - we will provide a more comprehensive overview at the end of the year. If you have questions or see any issues with these data, please email contact@kywater.org. For more information on data interpretation, please visit the Interpret Your Data page on our website. 

As of October 2025, we have:

• 246 Fully trained volunteers

• 218 Partially trained volunteers (still need to complete either online or in-person components)

• 37 Support Hubs

• 191 Sites sampled

• 339 Sampling data entries

pH

When the water’s pH is out of range, either too basic or too acidic, organisms may move away, stop reproducing, or die. Water with a low pH also allows toxic compounds to become more available in the water, possibly harming aquatic life.

Acceptable range: 6.0-9.0, although optimal ranges are noted by the grades in the table below

Dissolved Oxygen

Aquatic life needs oxygen to survive.  While oxygen atoms are present in water molecules, most aquatic life needs dissolved oxygen (DO) gas to live. Oxygen is constantly being exchanged between the water surface and the atmosphere, through diffusion and turbulence.

Sustained DO values less than 5 mg/L are problematic for aquatic organisms, resulting in increased susceptibility to environmental stresses, reduced growth rates, mortality, and an alteration in the distribution of aquatic life. Levels that remain below 1-2 mg/L for a few hours can result in a severe fish kill.

Acceptable Range?  Mountain or spring-fed streams designated as cold-water aquatic habitat (i.e., for trout, etc.) require higher DO levels.  A longer-term average of dissolved oxygen concentrations should be above 5 mg/L.

Conductivity

Conductivity is a measure of the capacity of the water to carry an electrical current through dissolved ions or salts in the water. Salts dissolve into positive and negative ions that conduct currents based on their concentration levels. A conductivity measurement can serve as a general indicator of water contamination and is useful as an early indicator of change in the waterway.

Acceptable Range? Higher conductivity levels (from 500 to 1,000, depending on geographical location) cause stress on aquatic organisms and can impact water supplies for drinking water and industrial use.

Escherichia coli (E. coli)

E. coli is a type of bacteria that is naturally found in the intestinal tract of people and all warm-blooded animals. It is also commonly found in human and animal feces. E. coli does not represent a direct human health threat when found in natural streams and waterways.  However, it is measured as an indicator of potential accompanying threats from fecal contamination from humans, livestock, wildlife and pets. Therefore, high E. coli concentrations indicate the greater likelihood that human contact with the water could cause health issues from other fecal-associated waterborne diseases, such as Hepatitis A or Cryptosporidium.

Acceptable Range? Concentrations are measured as colony-forming units (CFUs) or most probable number (MPN) per 100 mL.  Criteria are based on the likelihood of concentration levels to result in illness.