A group of volunteers who have been monitoring the water quality in Warren's rivers and coves for five years hope to expand their effort this year, moving up into the Kickemuit River.

At Monday's Warren Town Council budget hearing, councilors voted to increase their annual grant to the Warren Water Quality Testing Program from $2,100 to $3,500. If the increase passes as written — the town budget has not yet been finalized — that would give the group enough money to fund an additional two sites, bringing the total to seven. Then all the group would need were two volunteers to take on a site.

"It's a great program," said Julie Blount, who along with former Warren Town Council member Steve Thompson is one of the project's leaders. "I've always wanted to get up into the Kickemuit. I think it would be wonderful to have one site in the upper and one in the lower Kickemuit."

The volunteers work from June through October each year, testing water every other Sunday morning for salinity, temperature, clarity and other data points. Their samples and data are sent to the University of Rhode Island, where biologists with URI's Watershed Watch program use them in an effort to track the bay's health and re-establish its historic oyster beds.

Ms. Blount's late father Luther had long been involved in and fascinated by oysters, and the Blount Shellfish Foundation established after his passing funds two of the sites. The rest — three currently, and five if the budget passes as is — are paid for by the town.

Current testing locations include Belcher's Cove and several spots along the Warren River, including areas adjacent to Bridge Street, the Wharf Tavern and the American Tourister complex.

Ms. Blount's location is Belcher's Cove, and she loves getting up early on Sundays to head out onto the flats to take her samples and run her tests. Since some of the work needs to be done in water at least 18 inches deep, it's sometimes a long walk out in the tidal region. The work is not without its charms, she said:

"One of my last collections, this huge crab came at me," she said. "But it's beautiful there when you go really early in the morning. You see great blue herons, all kinds of things. It's just amazing."

If the increased funding passes as is, Ms. Blount hopes to be able to find two volunteers willing to take on the Kickemuit work. It's technical, precise work, and volunteers must be trained in the use of the equipment provided them by URI before they begin. But for the right person, it can be a lot of fun, she said.

"There's a lot to it," Ms. Blount said. "It's a big commitment (to monitor a site) but it's very rewarding."

Note: If you are interested in volunteering with the Warren Water Quality Testing Program, contact Ms. Blount at 245-8300.