Meet a Monitor: Sarah Sojka and Karin Warren
Sarah Sojka and Karin Warren are professors of environmental studies at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA. They became certified Virginia Save Our Streams (VA SOS) monitors in 2023 and went on to certify as trainers in 2024. Along with their students, they have been monitoring 6 sites on Blackwater Creek, both upstream and downstream of the recent College Lake Dam Removal Project.
The 45-acre College Lake was built in 1934 on the campus of what is now the University of Lynchburg (then Lynchburg College). The lake was created by building a large earthen dam in Blackwater Creek, providing a transportation route on top of the dam. Since the watershed was largely sandy sediment, however, the lake began filling with sediment over time. By 2023, size of the lake had been reduced from 45 acres to just 14.
On August 2, 2018, Lynchburg received extreme rainfall – more than 6 inches in 24 hours – and the dam overtopped. This led to significant flooding and the evacuation of more than 100 homes out of fear that the dam would fail. Fortunately the dam did not fail, but it became apparent that the dam was a hazard to the community. A plan was developed to remove the dam and restore the area back to a riverine and wetland ecosystem.
In 2021, one of Sarah and Karin’s students, Paige Edwards, studied site characteristics in Blackwater Creek downstream of the dam and identified sites for long-term monitoring as a senior honors project. In 2023, another senior, Abby Whitlock, built on this project and began VA SOS benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring at 6 sites. Sarah then worked with other students to monitor these sites both immediately before and shortly after the dam removal, which was completed in May 2024. They are also monitoring dissolved oxygen and E. coli through a Citizens Water Quality Monitoring Grant from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Additionally, Karin has been monitoring one site downstream of the dam for 20 years (using the VA SOS protocol since 2023).
The section of Blackwater Creek that was cut off by the dam is now reconnected for the first time since 1934. Although the dam removal has expectedly caused disturbance in the stream and a sudden increase in fine sediment accumulation, Sarah and Karin are hopeful for the Creek’s future. According to Sarah, “Not only is this project giving us insight into the impact of the dam removal and the stream’s recovery, it is also providing fantastic hands-on experience for our students. We have seen very high sediment concentrations downstream of the dam removal project and a decrease in overall macroinvertebrate abundance, but hope that we will soon see these populations start to recover. I am looking forward to working with lots more students to monitor this recovery.”
Want to become a Save Our Streams monitor, investigate the health of your local waterways, and advocate for their protection? Get started online today.
Know a cool story about yourself or another monitor you’d like to share? Email sos@iwla.org to recommend someone for “Meet a Monitor.”
Your kit will include a bottle containing 25 nitrate test strips which you can use to test your water source(s) throughout the year. You’ll also receive postcards explaining how to use your nitrate test strips and how to share your Nitrate Watch results on the Clean Water Hub.
Your kit will include four test strips so you can test your waterway throughout the season. You’ll also receive a chart to help you interpret your results and a postcard with instructions for completing a Salt Watch test and reporting your findings.