The Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA) is constantly monitoring the health and quality of not just the waters of Smith Mountain Lake, but also the tributaries, and streams that feed into the lake. We combine forces with two other organizations—the Virginia Save Our Streams Program and the Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist Program to conduct semi-annual stream monitoring at 16 locations around the lake. The SMLA Save Our Streams (SOS) monitoring began at SML in 2007, under the leadership of SMLA Board member Stan Smith.

Trained and certified volunteer monitors, also known as citizen scientists, collect and identify freshwater aquatic macroinvertebrates, basically the critters and bugs that live on the bottom of a stream. Information on the diversity and number of critters collected is used to determine the quality of water flowing through the streams and allows us to track the quality over time.

Orientation sessions for new volunteers are held at least once a year.
Save our Streams Orientation

The SOS teams perform their water quality assessments of the streams using a methodology developed at Virginia Tech in the early 2000s. Quality ratings are assigned based on a count of macroinvertebrates to determine the ratio of pollution tolerant “bugs” to pollution-sensitive ones.  As up to two dozen species are present in our streams, our monitoring program takes place twice during the year and certification of new volunteers can take at least a full season to achieve as trainees learn to identify the bugs in all stages of their life cycles within our waters.

Since the SOS teams adhere to a nationally recognized assessment methodology, our ratings are accepted into the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) statewide data system.  DEQ collects similar data from streams across the state to assess the overall quality of Virginia’s streams and rivers which in turn identifies deficiencies that may need to be addressed.

The SMLA SOS results for the 2022 season have been compiled and submitted to DEQ. We are excited to report that comparisons of water quality year over year as well as within the state are on target.  The 2022 results show that 10 of the 16 streams are rated as fully satisfactory, compared with only six of 16 in 2021.  Three streams were rated in the gray area (compared to six in 2021), and an additional three were rated as unsatisfactory (compared to four the previous year).  Importantly, local streams significantly exceeded state-wide averages:

Water quality in the tributaries to SML plays a key role in the health of the lake itself, serving as the “canary in the coal mine” for SMLA’s overall efforts in keeping the lake clean and safe.  In short, clean water flowing into the lake helps ensure that SML’s water quality remains high. The SOS data from streams feeding into SML complements the nationally recognized SMLA/Ferrum College Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP).

New for 2023, SMLA is launching an annual Clean Stream Award, which will be presented at the upcoming Annual Meeting in September. The purpose of the award is to recognize landowners or managers whose actions have improved water quality in a stream monitored regularly by the SOS teams. Awardees will have implemented significant environmental efforts to upgrade riparian conditions supporting clean water and will have made a major contribution, often including unremunerated costs, to the overall water quality of the lake. SMLA wants to encourage other landowners and managers to increase their efforts to enhance stream water quality, and to make the public aware of the positive outcomes of SMLA’s overall water quality program.

To learn more about watershed citizen science, lake water quality and what lives in our streams, visit our website SMLAssociation.org.