Cooperative Extension sponsored or co-sponsored Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Programs

Link to National Water Quality Program website

Cooperative Extension Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Programs

When we first started this project we identified 27 volunteer water quality monitoring programs sponsored, co-sponsored or affiliated with Cooperative Extension in the United States and its territories. Now we are up to 51! We are always looking for programs we have missed and have had help from people across the country to find 'new' programs. We identify below which programs are sponsored or co-sponsored by Cooperative Extension and which are affiliated in other ways -- such as by providing technical assistance with trainings, educational materials, equipment, or meeting space for volunteer monitoring events.

The map above shows where and to what extent Cooperative Extension is involved in volunteer water quality monitoring across the nation. Not shown is an Extension co-sponsored program in American Samoa.

The first of these programs began in 1978, the most recent this year. In parentheses next to each program's name is the year that the program began. Program volunteers are monitoring a wide range of aquatic habitats including rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, estuaries, and drinking water wells.

In the directory that follows, we've tried our best to keep the contact information current. Many programs have websites and we have created links to these sites for your convenience. We encourage you to explore the wide range of Extension volunteer monitoring programs and contact those that interest you. All our coordinators are more than happy to share their expertise and enthusiasm with you! For programs that are CE-affliated, contacts listed are usually Extension staff who work with the program, thus are generally not the program coordinators.

We now have a listing of Master Naturalist and Master Watershed Steward Programs in the U.S., many of which are sponsored or co-sponsored by Extension and which are invovled with volunteer monitoring efforts locally. view list of Master Naturalist Programs >>

Alabama	American Samoa
Alabama Water Watch (1992) Bill Deutsch Auburn University 203 Swingle Hall Auburn AL 36849 Phone: (888) 844-4785 Fax: (224) 844-9208 aww@acesag.auburn.edu	Tauese Stream Program (2000) Laura Laumatia American Samoa Community College P.O. Box 5319 Pago Pago AS 96799 Phone: (684) 699-6921 Fax: (684) 699-5011 laumatia_l@yahoo.com
Arizona	Arizona
Arizona Master Watershed Steward Program Candice Rupprecht Statewide Coordinator University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Forbes 301, PO Box 210036 Tucson, AZ 85721 Phone: (520) 621-1268 candicer@cals.arizona.edu	Private Well Monitoring Karen Pizzuto University of Arizona Cooperative Extension of Yavapai County 500 S. Marina PO Box 388 Prescott, AZ 86302 Phone: 928-445-6590 x223 kpizzuto@cals.arizona.edu
Arizona
NEMO Wet/Dry (2007) Dr. Terry Sprouse Senior Research Specialist University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center 350 N. Campbell Avenue Tucson, AZ 85719 Phone: 520-621-9591 ext. 13 Fax: 520-792-8518 tsprouse@cals.arizona.edu
California	California
Tahoe-Truckee Snapshot Day (2001) Mary Kay Riedl Nevada Divison of Environmental Protection 901 S. Stewart St., Ste 4001 Carson City, NV 89701-5249 Phone: (775) 687-9454 mriedl@ndep.nv.gov Susie Kocher Natural Resources Advisor, RPF #2874 UC Cooperative Extension - El Dorado County 1061 3rd Street South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 Phone: (530) 542-2571 skocher@nature.berkeley.edu	Early Detection of Quagga and Zebra Mussels (2008 only) Valerie Borel Watershed and Wildfire Ed. Coord. University of California Cooperative Extension-Los Angeles & Ventura Co. 4800 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90022 Phone: (323) 260-3851 vtborel@ucdavis.edu
Colorado	Florida
North Fork Volunteer Monitoring Project (2001) Colorado State University Extension PO Box 133 124 Grand Ave, North Entrance Paonia, CO 81428 Phone: (970) 527-4614 Fax: (970) 527-4621 nfria@tds.net	Florida LAKEWATCH Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 7922 NW 71st Street Gainesville, FL 32653 Phone: (352) 392-4817 Fax: (352) 392-4902 Florida LakeWatch in Volusia County David Griffis Cooperative Extension Director University of Florida Extension Service Volusia County Agricultural Center 3100 E. New York Ave. DeLand, FL 32724 Phone: (386) 822-5778 DeLand (386) 257-6012 Daytona Beach (386) 423-3368 New Smyrna Beach dgriffis@co.volusia.fl.us
Georgia	Georgia
Coastal Adopt-a-Wetland Courtney Walz 20 Ocean Science Circle Savannah, GA 31411 Phone: 912-598-2376 Fax:912-598-2302 cwalz@uga.edu	Plan of Work Water Quality Program Fred Harrison Fort Valley State College PO Box 4601 Fort Valley GA 31030-3298 Phone: (478) 825-6296 Fax:(478) 825-6299 harrisof@fvsu.edu
Idaho	Indiana
Pacific NW Water Quality Monitoring Program (1999) Bob Simmons Washington State University Coop. Ext. 720 Sleater Kinney Road SE Lacey WA 98503-1142 Phone: (360) 786-5445 7915 Fax: (360) 704-7778 simmons@wsu.edu	Hoosier Riverwatch(1996) Lisa Ritter-McMahan Indiana DNR-Div of Soil Conservation Fort Harrison State Park-NREC 5785 Glenn Road Indianapolis IN 46216-1066 Phone: (317) 541-0617 Fax: (317) 562-0790 riverwatch@in.gov
Iowa	Kansas
IOWATER (1998) Brian Soenon Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wallace State Office Building 502 E. 9th Street Des Moines IA 50319 Phone: (515) 281-6640 Fax: (515) 281-8895 Brian.Soenen@dnr.state.ia.us	Private well monitoring (1994) Daniel Devlin Kansas State University 2011B Throckmorton Hall Manhattan KS 66506 Phone: (785) 532-0393 Fax: (785) 532-6315 ddevlin@oznet.ksu.edu
Kentucky	Kentucky
Dr. Carol Handley University of Kentucky Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment 107 Dimock Bldg Lexington, KY 40546-0076 Phone: (859) 257-3780 chanley@uky.edu	Kentucky Watershed Watch 639 Cardinal Lane Lexington, KY 40503 Phone: 1-800-928-0045 Ext 473 kywwp@igc.org Four Rivers Watershed Watch (a KY Water Watch Program) Karla Johnston Volunteer Support Coordinator Hancock Biological Station Phone: (270) 474-2272 karla.johnston@murraystate.edu
Maine	Massachusetts
Maine Shore Stewards (1988) Esperanza Stancioff University of Maine Cooperative Extension Knox-Lincoln Counties Office 377 Manktown Road Waldoboro, Maine 04572-0309 Phone: (207) 832-0343 or 1-800-244-2104 (in Maine) esp@umext.maine.edu	Martha's Vineyard Pond Monitoring Bill Wilcox University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension PO Box 1696 Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 Phone: (508) 693-0694 Fax: (508) 693-7894
Michigan	Michigan
Michigan Clean Water Corps (MI Corps) John Wuycheck – MiCorps Coordinator Surface Water Assessment Section Water Bureau Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality Constitution Hall P.O. Box 30273 Lansing, MI 48909-7773 Phone: 517-335-4195 WuycheckJ@Michigan.gov Jo Latimore Michigan State University 13 Natural Resources East Lansing MI 48824-1222 Phone: 517-432-1491 latimor1@msu.edu	Flint River Watershed Coalition (1999) Darren Bagley G-4215 W. Pasadena Flint, MI 48504-2376 Phone: (810) 244-8524 Fax: (810) 732-1400 bagleyda@msu.edu
Michigan	Minnesota
Lake Superior Lake Watch (1991) Ronald Kinnunen Michigan State University 702 Chippewa Square Marquette MI 49855 Phone: (906) 228-4830 Fax: (906) 228-4572 kinnunen@msue.msu.edu	Volunteer Stream Monitoring Partnership (1998) University of MN, Water Resources Center 173 McNeal Hall 1985 Buford Ave St. Paul MN 55108 Phone: (612) 625-9256 Fax: (612) 625-1263
Missouri	Missouri
Missouri Stream Team (1989) Chris Riggert ST VWQM Coordinator Missouri Dept. Conservation - Streams Unit P.O. Box 180 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 Phone: (573) 522-4115 x 3167 Fax: 573/526-0990 Chris.Riggert@mdc.mo.gov Amy Junclaus ST Biologist Missouri Dept. Conservation - Streams Unit P.O. Box 180 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180 Phone: (573) 526-4115 x 3166 Fax: 573/526-0990 Amy.Junclaus@mdc.mo.gov Priscilla Stotts ST VWQM Coordinator Missouri Dept. Natural Resources - Water Protection Program P.O. Box 176 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176 Phone: (573) 526-3406 Fax: 573/522-9920 Priscilla.Stotts@dnr.mo.gov	Missouri Stream Team (1989) (contacts continued) Susan Higgins ST VWQM Coordinator Missouri Dept. Natural Resources - Water Protection Program P.O. Box 176 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176 Phone: (573) 526-1002 Fax: 573/522-9920 Susan.Higgins@dnr.mo.gov Wayne Maresch ST VWQM Coordinator Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources - Environmental Services Program Truman State Park 28761 State Park Rd. West Warsaw, MO 65355 Phone: (660) 438-2805 Wayne.Maresch@dnr.mo.gov
Montana	Nebraska
Montana Watercourse Adam Sigler PO Box 170575 Bozeman, MT 59717-0575 Phone: (406) 994-6671 mtwatercourse@montana.edu	Lake Volunteer Monitoring Program through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources (1999) Tadd M. Barrow University of Nebraska, Lincoln 516 Hardin Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0995 Phone: (402) 472-7783 Fax: (402) 472-2964 tbarrow2@unl.edu
Nevada	New Hampshire
Tahoe-Truckee Snapshot Day (2001) Susie Kocher Phone: (530) 542-2571 skocher@nature.berkeley.edu Mary Kay Riedl Bureau of Water Quality Planning Nevada Division of Environmental Protection 901 S. Stewart St., Ste 4001 Carson City, NV 89701-5249 Phone: (775) 687-9454 Fax: (775) 687-5856 mriedl@ndep.nv.gov	NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program (1978) Jeffrey Schloss University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension 131 Main Street 224 Nesmith Hall Durham NH 03824 Phone: (603) 862-3848 Fax: (603) 862-0107 jeff.schloss@unh.edu additional info: http://extension.unh.edu/WatRes/Pubs/llmp.pdf
New Hampshire	New Jersey
Great Bay Coast Watch (1990) Dari Ward (interim Director) University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Kingman Farm UNH Durham NH 03824 Phone: (603) 749-1565 Fax: (603) 743-3997 dari.ward@unh.edu	4-H River Rangers (Sussex County) Tom & Carol Diveny 77 Graphic Blvd Sparta, NJ 07871 tcediv@tellurian.net
New York	New York
Hudson River SAV Project Eugenia Barnaba Program Leader Institute for Resource Information Systems 303 Rice Hall, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 Phone: (607) 255-0800 Fax: (607) 255-4662 emb6@cornell.edu	Community Water Watch Program Todd Stevenson, Program Coordinator Monroe County Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Quality 111 Westfall Road Rochester, NY 14620 Phone: (585) 753-5472 tstevenson@monroecounty.gov
New York	New York
Water Logging (2003) Angel Dybas Water Quality Monitoring on the Greater Huntington-Northport Bay Complex Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Coindre Hall 101 Browns Rd PO Box 554 Huntington, NY 11743 Phone: (631) 239-1800 ext. 21 Fax: (631) 239-1797 ald68@cornell.edu	Woodland Pool Steward Kristi Sullivan Cornell University 109 Fernow Hall Ithaca NY 14853 Phone: 607-255-5508 Fax: 607-255-2815 kls20@cornell.edu
New York	North Carolina
Community Fly Fisher (1996) Cornell Cooperative Ext. of Tomkins County 615 Willow Ave Ithaca NY 14850 Phone: (607) 272-2292 Fax: (607) 272-7088 tompkins@cornell.edu	Watershed Watch (1999) Wendy Patoprsty NC Cooperative Extension, NCSU Water Quality Group 971 W. King Street Boone NC 28607 Phone: (828) 264-3061 Fax: (828) 264-3067 wendy_patoprsty@ncsu.edu
Ohio	Ohio
Ohio Clean Marina Program Ohio State University Extension Colleen Wellington Extension Educator, Clean Marinas Program Coordinator Ohio Sea Grant Extension Ohio Office of Coastal Management 105 West Shoreline Drive Sandusky, OH 44870 Colleen.Wellington@dnr.state.oh.us	Ohio State University Extension Jerry Iles OSU Extension - Athens County 280 West Union Athens, OH 45701 Phone: 800-297-2072 iles.9@osu.edu
Ohio	Ohio
Ohio State University Extension Robert D. McCall Watershed Educator Ohio State University Extension Phone: 419-422-6106 Fax: 419-422-7595 mccall.57@cfaes.osu.edu	Ohio State University Extension working with Ohio Lake Management Society's Citizen Lake Awareness and Monitoring (CLAM) Progam Dana Oleskiewicz North District 1680 Madison Avenue OARDC Administration Building Wooster, OH 44691 Phone: 330-263-3799 x2640 Fax: 330-263-3667 oleskiewicz.1@osu.edu
Oklahoma	Oregon
Oklahoma Statewide Blue Thumb (2000) Oklahoma Conservation Commission Cheryl Cheadle Bristow OK Phone: (918) 398-1804 cheryl.cheadle@conservation.ok.gov	Pacific NW Water Quality Monitoring Program (1999) Bob Simmons Washington State University Cooperative Extension 720 Sleater Kinney Road SE Lacey WA 98503-1142 Phone: (360) 786-5445 7915 Fax: (360) 704-7778 simmons@wsu.edu
Oregon	Oregon
Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers (2000) Sandy Lyon Monitoring Coordinator 1758 N.E. Airport Road Roseburg, OR 97470 (541) 673-5756 X149 sandy@umpquarivers.org	The Oregon Well Monitoring Program (2007) Laura Moscowitz Corvallis, OR (541) 207-7472 well.water@oregonstate.edu
	Pennsylvania
	Streamside Salamander Sampling in State Monitoring Programs (SPAR) (2000-2002) Robert P. Brooks The Penn State Cooperative Wetland Center Department of Geography The Pennsylvania State University 323 Walker Building University Park, PA 16802 Phone: (814) 863-1596 rpb2@psu.edu Gian L. Rocco Wildlife and Fisheries Science Phone: (814) 863-3194 gxr124@psu.edu
Pennsylvania	Rhode Island
Jacobs Creek Watershed Snapshot (2001) Penn State University Cooperative Extension-Westmoreland County RR 12 Box 202E Donohoe Road Greensburg PA 15601	URI Watershed Watch (1988) Linda Green University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Natural Resources Science Dept. URI 1 Greenhouse Road Kingston RI 02881 Phone: (401) 874-2905 Fax: (401) 874-4561 lgreen@uri.edu Elizabeth Herron Phone: (401) 874-4552 Fax: (401) 874-4561 emh@uri.edu
Utah	Vermont
Utah Stream Team and Bear River Watershed Education Project (A River Runs Through Us) and Utah Lake Watch Nancy Mesner Utah State University Dept. of Geography Logan UT 84322-5240 Phone: (435) 797-2465 Fax: (435) 797-4048 nancym@ext.usu.edu Andree Walker 5210 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-5210 Phone: (435) 760-7398 (cell) Phone: (435) 797-2580 andreedwalker@gmail.com	Vermont Lay Monitoring Program (1979) Amy Picotte Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Water Quality Division 103 South Main St., Building 10 North Waterbury, VT 05671-0408 Phone: (802) 241-3789 amy.picotte@state.vt.us
Vermont	Washington
Watershed Alliance (1999) Bethany Hanna Education and Outreach Coordinator UVM Watershed Alliance Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory 3 College Street Burlington, VT 05401 Phone: (802) 859-3086 x305 bethany.hanna@uvm.edu	Project WET Monitoring (2002) Dan Fagerlie, WET Project Director and Carolyn Blake, WET Project Coordinator WSU/Ferry County Cooperative Extension 350 E. Delaware #9 Republic WA 99166 Phone: (509) 775-5235 Fax: (509) 775-5218 blakec@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu
Washington	Washington
WSU Beach Watchers (1989) Don Meehan Washington State University - CooperativeExtension Island County PO Box 5000 Coupeville WA 98239-5000 Phone: (360) 679-7327 Fax: (360) 240-5503 beachwatchers@wsu.edu	Pacific NW Water Quality Monitoring Program (1999) Bob Simmons Washington State University Cooperative Extension 720 Sleater Kinney Road SE Lacey WA 98503-1142 Phone: (360) 786-5445 7915 Fax: (360) 704-7778 simmons@wsu.edu
Wisconsin	Wisconsin
Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (1986) Laura Herman UWEX 203 CNR, 800 Reserve Street Stevens Point WI 54481 Phone: (715) 346-3989 (Stevens Point) Phone: (715) 365-8998 (Rhinelander) Fax: (715) 365-8932 laura.herman@uwsp.edu	Southeast WI Ephemeral Ponds Citizen Monitoring Project (2007) Gail Epping Overholt Milwaukee County Extension Office 932 S 60th Street West Allis WI 53214 Phone: (414) 290-2434 Fax: (414) 290-2424 gail.overholt@ces.uwex.edu
Wisconsin	Wisconsin
Water Action Volunteers (1996), Citizen-based Stream Monitoring (Level 2), and Discovery Farms' Trained Local Samplers (2002) Kris Stepenuck University of Wisconsin 445 Henry Mall, Rm 202 Madison WI 53706-1577 Phone: (608) 265-3887 Fax: (608) 262-2031 kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu	Clean Boats, Clean Waters (2003) Erin Henegar 800 Reserve St UWEX Lake Program UW Stevens Point College of Natural Resources Stevens Point WI 54481 Phone: (715) 346-4978 erin.henegar@uwsp.edu
Wisconsin
Bad River Watershed Association (2002) Michele Wheeler 101 West Main St, Suite 353 PO Box 875 Ashland, WI 54806 Phone: (715) 682-2003 brwa_wi@yahoo.com

Please note, the programs listed on this page are not the only volunteer water quality monitoring programs in existence in the country. They represent only those that have a connection with Extension - whether as a sponsor, partner or affiliate. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains an online directory of volunteer monitoring programs across the nation. More than 1000 programs are listed in that directory. It is accessible at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/water/volmon.nsf/Home?readform

Updated Tuesday, 17-Nov-2009 11:38:32 CST

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