Every summer, pollutants land on dry streets in coastal Monterey County and every winter they wash away with the rain. Examining water samples collected before and during that first rain allows scientists to see what kind of pollutants are entering the sea. But collecting those samples takes a crew of volunteers.

The public is invited to take part in First Flush, an annual water monitoring event in Monterey County that takes place before and during the first significant rainfall of the season.

Continue reading for FREE

This is NOT a paywall. We just want to make sure you’re a human. Sign in to read this story and receive the weekly roundup in your inbox.

Or

Terms & Conditions

Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in.
Please visit My Account to manage your account.

Ruth Dusseault is an investigative reporter and multimedia journalist focused on environment and energy. Her position is supported by the California local news fellowship, a statewide initiative spearheaded by UC Berkeley aimed at supporting local news platforms. While a student at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism (c’23), Ruth developed stories about the social and environmental circumstances of contaminated watersheds around the Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. Her thesis explored rights of nature laws in small rural communities. She is a former assistant professor and artist in residence at Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture, and uses photography, film and digital storytelling to report on the engineered systems that undergird modern life.