Mike O'Neill, the National Program Leader in Water Quality for USDA, encouraged volunteer water quality monitoring programs within USDA and CSREES to take part in the National Water Quality Monitoring Day, on October 18, 2002. This activity coincided with the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Clean Water Act into law. It was one of many activities scheduled across the nation to celebrate 2002 as the Year of Clean Water. Due to its success to build awareness of our nations waters, the event will be continued and expanded this year.

Ed Moyer, of America's Clean Water Foundation (ACWF), and the National Monitoring Day Coordinator, reported that "over 75,000 people participated in water quality monitoring, water festivals and other educational outreach activities last fall. There were over 5,100 sites registered across the country. Every state, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, was represented. In addition, local press covered the event and raised awareness of the continued need to care for local watersheds."

Mr. Moyer reported that the International Water Association has joined forces with the ACWF to sponsor the event this year as World Monitoring Day. A new website will be revealed after June 1st; until then, continue to use the National Monitoring Day website for information about the event.

If your state is planning to participate in National Water Quality Monitoring Day using testing kits designed especially for the event, a PowerPoint presentation has been developed to explain the kit. Follow the link below to view the presentation.

(2.9 MB pdf file)

States 2002 Activites with National Monitoring Day:

Several volunteer water quality monitoring programs that are sponsored or co-sponsored by Cooperative Extension planned and carried out activities to take part in National Water Quality Monitoring Day last fall. Learn highlights of these activities in the summaries below:

Alabama

Alabama Water Watch is a statewide, volunteer monitoring program. During the entire month of October, volunteer groups all over Alabama and shared watersheds in Georgia sampled at their regular site for many of the following parameters: temperature, pH, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, secchi, E. coli, other total coliform, and salinity. These data were compiled and submitted to the National Water Monitoring Day database.

Arizona

Kitt Farrell-Poe, Water Quality Coordinator in Arizona reported that the event was celebrated there as "The Big Dip In". Programs statewide monitored a waterbody (and she noted that there are indeed a few in Arizona) and shared their results. About 60 sites statewide participated, with Extension programs accounting for 10 of the 60 sites. The monitoring kits that were used were donated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Indiana

More than forty-eight volunteer monitors in Indiana planned activities or events for National Water Monitoring Day. Additionally, over 100 sites were monitored by volunteers, and more than 860 people participated, including 625 students and 235 adults.

One special event planned for October 18, 2002, through a partnership between the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Tippecanoe County Soil and Water Conservation District was to monitor 44 sites in Tippecanoe County. A large number of volunteers monitored for the National Water Quality Monitoring Day parameters. In addition, they collected E.coli samples that were tested by IDEM's Mobile E.coli Lab. Hoosier Riverwatch assisted with the monitoring.

Michigan

Michigan State University participated in the National Water Monitoring Day through a Sustainability class (led by Terry Link) gathering at the Red Cedar River on October 17, 2002. John Hesse and Christine Aeillo (Water Quality Specialist, MDEQ) talked with the class about Red Cedar River issues/initiatives and the Statewide Water Quality Trend Monitoring Program. Steve Blumer, Chief, Network Operations, USGS, demonstrated stream flow measurement and water quality testing. Students in Terry's class performed water quality tests (dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature) using inexpensive kits used nationally by volunteer monitoring groups.

Additionally, a Limnological and Fishery Techniques class (led by Lois Wolfson) and graduate students from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism joined the Sustainability class. These participants conducted conducted the same four water quality tests done by the other students, but using more sophisticated test equipment. This allowed a 3-way comparison of results.

Upon completion of the water testing, Steve Blumer demonstrated methodology for measuring stream flow. The Limnological and Fishery Techniques class sampled macroinvertebrates at the site as well.

MDEQ and USGS conducted similar activities on October 18, 2002, at Wonch Park, Okemos. All were welcome to attend both events.

Minnesota

In Minnesota, the month of October 2002 was proclaimed by the governor as "Clean Water Month." To help celebrate, the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership coordinated volunteers of all ages to perform simple and fun tests in safe, accessible areas. VSMP sponsored 21 volunteers or groups to monitor streams throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The testing kits were provided at no charge and VSMP staff assisted in registering sites and entering data into the national database. The testing took place from October 12 through October 26, 2002. This information was taken from the VSMP website.

Oklahoma

Mike Smolen, Water Quality Coordinator in Oklahoma reported that Extension staff worked at capacity for YOCW activities. They held a Youth in Action Conference on October 17-18, in Woodward, OK, where 4-Hers learned to take water samples. Then they returned to their home counties, monitored a stream or lake, and logged into the website to report their monitoring results. The monitoring kits that were used by the 4-Hers were donated by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Women.

Oregon

Lane County hosted the 2002 national Groundwater Foundation meeting in Eugene, Oreogn, November 17-20 at the Valley River Inn. Groundwater and Surface enthusiasts met to learn about watersheds and groundwater issues.

Rhode Island

Linda Green, Director of the URI Watershed Watch Program reported that in RI the event was called CWA30/RI. Besides being the 30th anniversary of the signing of the CWA, it was also the 25th anniversary of RI Department of Environmental Management and URI Watershed Watch's 15th anniversary.

There were 4 main activities:
URI Cooperative Extension/Watershed Watch program extended the final water collection of their 2002 monitoring season to coincide with National Water Monitoring Day. Program volunteers were encouraged to add their site to the URI Watershed Watch program (project) site on the YOCW webpage. Volunteers entered their water clarity, dissolved oxygen and temperature data. Project staff added data for sites for folks who weren't able to do so on their own and also added pH data, since it is calculated in URI's lab.

On October 24 there a reception was held at the RI State House in honor of the anniversaries. Long term volunteers (10+ years) received a certificate from the Governor. Besides the usual speakers, all past directors of RI DEM participated in a panel discussion about the state of RI's environment. The event was televised on local cable.

October 24, 2002, was also the kickoff of a travelling photo exhibit featuring historical photos of how bad things were in RI waters, information on how to get involved to improve/protect water quality featuring a montage of volunteer monitoring and clean up activities, and closing with a photographic essay focusing on the beauty of RI's waters. Remember that RI was the site of the first mill built in the US, Slater Mill, in 1793.

On November 13, 2002, there was a half day water monitoring workshop which provided an overview of how a comprehensive monitoring strategy will be developed in RI; provided a greater understanding of how data are used by DEM and others; provided guidance to watershed groups interested in monitoring; celebrated volunteer and collaborative monitoring success stories, reinforced the importance of monitoring and helped build support for monitoring.

The CWA30/RI committee members included The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, EPA, RI DEM, URI Cooperative Extension/URI Watershed Watch,Narragansett Bay Commission, RI Rivers Council and Save The Bay.

South Carolina

Barbara Speziale, Associate Dean for Youth Development and Families and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences reported that thanks to Clemson Extension and the South Carolina LIFE program, 55 water quality test kits were sent to teachers and Extension agents throughout South Carolina to use on National Water Quality Monitoring Day, October 18, 2002.

The standardized kits were supplied, free of charge, to teachers participating in the SC LIFE program and to Extension agents. Each kit was able to be used for 30 to 50 tests for monitoring various water quality parameters. The test kit allowed testing for a core set of water quality parameters such as temperature, pH, water clarity and dissolved oxygen. Participants will enter data online at the national database.

Participating schools included: D.R. Hill Middle School, Duncan; Rock Hill High School, Rock Hill; Cherokee Trail Elementary, Donalds; Gettys Middle School, Easley; Pickens High School, Pickens; L.E. Gable Middle School, Spartanburg.

Participating Extension offices included: Florence County, Pickens County, Georgetown County, Beaufort County, Jasper County, Fairfield County, York County, Kershaw County, Dorchester County, Calhoun County, Hampton County, Lee County, Richland County, Sumter County and Williamsburg County.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin's Water Action Volunteers,who monitor Wisconsin streams, marked the event by monitoring their regular stream sites between October 12 and October 27. They monitored for temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. They submitted their data to their local program coordinators (who enter it to Wisconsin's volunteer stream monitoring database) as usual, and WAV staff entered their data to the national level database. River clean ups were also carried out by local groups to commemorate the day. The WAV program is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Extension and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.