Citizen Water Monitoring
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No
matter where you live your life is affected by water quality. Water quality issues raise many
questions that are important to us all at some point or another. Is the tap water safe to
drink? Will I get sick if I swim in this lake? Why are so many fish dying in the bay? Why does this
water look unusually merky, discolored, or even remarkably clear?
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Perhaps one of the
most important questions to ask is: How do we know when our water is healthy? To put is simply,
healthy water is water that can support and sustain life. "Water quality" is a blanket term for how the physical,
chemical and biological characteristics of a water sample measure up to a set of standards. Water quality can be
evaluated througha number of different tests such as color, odor, temperature, acidity, bacteria content,
biological diversity and many
others.
Part of an ariticle written by Erin Barder for NASA Earth Observatory
Volunteer to be the Eyes and Ears of Your Lake!
Citizen Monitors contribute
using their own observations.
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Measure Water Clarity
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Great way for volunteer monitors to get started
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FWWA will provide training and measurement tools (Secchi disk)
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Volunteers regularly measure the water clarity of the water body they are monitoring
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Monitor for Aquatic
Invasive Species
- Watch for invasive plants and animals such as purple loosestrife, European frog-bit, zebra
mussels and rusty crawfish
- Learn what to do if you find an invasive species in your lake
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European Frog-Bit; photo by Erich Haber
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Monitor Wildlife
- Another way to monitor the health of local water bodies is to monitor native wildlife.
- Loons are sensitive to disturbances and pollutants so monitoring loon activity is a great
way to monitor the health of your lake.
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FWWA Citizen Monitors gather to be educated on local water quality issues and receive hands-on
training. The FWWA Project Coordinator is available to monitors throughout the process to answer
questions and guide in submitting findings.
Call JaNelle, FWWA Project Coordinator at 920.604.1238 to get started on
your lake!
Printable
Brochure
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2011 DNR Grant Report
2009 Citizen Water Monitoring Program
2010 Citizen Water Monitoring Program
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