Project Synopsis

As large-scale livestock operations grow, so too does the potential risk for water pollution from manure spreading, milkhouse waste and other animal products. Of particular concern is the human health issue associated with pathogens (particularly E. coli) in wastewater.States across the Great Lakes Region have created both voluntary and enforced regulatory programs to address manure and nutrient management and reduce or eliminate illicit discharges. However, public demands for monitoring of waters increase even as budgets continue to decline. In order to address this need, state agencies are looking to citizen volunteers for help in collecting the data necessary for assessing human and environmental health risks and identifying priority issues.Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin have joined together in a project to train citizen volunteers in the understanding and collection of water samples for bacterial analysis. Part of the project will include an assessment of the quality, reliability and usability of test kits (specifically E. coli).During the first year, the multi-state team has organized groups of volunteers to assist with data collection and anaylsis and two states have begun to assess various commercially available test kits. An evaluation protocol has been established and a training manual and fact sheets are in development.More information about Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring in the Great Lakes Region will be added as the project progresses. Please check back.