Supporting Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Efforts Throughout the USA

The United States is a nation built on volunteerism. Across the country tens of thousands of people have joined scientist-led voluntary monitoring programs to assess lakes, streams, wetlands, bays and oceans. In New England alone, more than 1800 volunteers monitor 800 lake, stream and salt water sites through Extension-led programs. In 2009 their efforts were valued at over one million dollars. Multiplying that by similar Extension-led efforts in an additional 41 states gives an estimate of staggering value. Volunteer water quality monitoring has the unique capacity to allow citizens to improve their knowledge of the status of and factors affecting local water quality through hands-on participation. It enables local residents to understand changes needed at the farm, home, and community level to help restore degraded waters and ensure protection of high quality waters. Volunteer monitors are both community educators and citizen scientists. In one Wisconsin Extension program, farmers partner with local citizens and scientists to monitor streams running through their farmlands. If stream quality is found to be impaired by farm activities, farmers receive technical advice to remedy the situation. Extension is also reaching out to tribes, educating and training citizens in tribal communities to monitor their waters. Relevant and adequate water quality and quantity data are critical for effective management of local water resources. Agencies lack sufficient resources to produce all the necessary data. With training and support, citizen-scientists help to fill these gaps, providing millions of dollars worth of service, and building partnerships with Extension and other agencies through participation in volunteer monitoring programs. USDA-NIFA support has enabled Extension to be at the forefront of volunteer water quality monitoring programming, providing technical advice and inspiration, focused training and peer mentoring, and bringing agencies, scientists and citizens to the table to craft local solutions that work.