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The Quinnipiac River, especially its southern part, is home to many industries and has suffered from repeated toxic discharges. In late January, a company in North Haven and its president were found guilty of having discharged oil and polluted wastewater into the river from July 1993 to October 1995. Both face the possibility of fines, while the president faces possible jail time as well.

Still, Ms. Gadwa says, ''It's important to have a balanced perspective on the human health risks and the risks to the aquatic environment. There are parts of the watershed that are in great shape and parts that are severely degraded. There are problems that are temporary, such as from construction sites, but there are longer term effects, too. Overall, the river has gotten a lot cleaner since the association was founded in 1979. Most of the credit goes to the Federal Clean Water Act and to enforcement by the D.E.P., but the association does serve a watchdog function. If there is not public pressure to enforce the regulations, they are not that likely to be enforced.''

Other activities of the river adopters include vegetation management, which includes planting native species for wildlife food and cover, shading, soil stabilization or improvement of water quality, and the removal of aggressive alien species; habitat enhancement, which includes erecting nest boxes and bat boxes, adjusting drainage patterns and improving the substrate for fish; leading outings on educational field trips, and improving access to the river by removing tree blockages in the river and building trails, footbridges or small docks. River adopters are encouraged, but not required, to be members of the association.

A new level of citizen participation will be possible through the Quinnipiac River Initiative, a pilot program for a watershed-based approach to water management sponsored by the D.E.P. Rivers Program, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency's New England Region, the river association and the Center for Coastal and Watershed Systems at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

The idea, Ms. Gadwa says, is to develop grass roots leadership to address specific river problems. Four meetings were held in November in towns in various parts of the watershed, to gauge citizens' concerns. They included issues such as pesticides, recreational access, stormwater runoff, illegal dumping and improving town zoning regulations to reduce urban sprawl and conserve open space. Organizational meetings are currently being held to determine the structure of the initiative.

Photos: David Crookes's bucket yields a dobsonfly (top) and crane fly larvae, both present only in clean water. Left: Allison Mattheis (standing), Jennifer Harde and George Logan collect samples. Bottom left: Mr. Crookes works a seine. (Photographs by Joseph Kugielsky for The New York Times)