Volunteer water monitoring programs began over twenty years ago and now exist in at least half the states. The data generated in these programs can be used to assess whether water bodies are “impaired” for regulatory purposes, or to help states target their own monitoring efforts, as well as to provide general information to the public. An overview of these programs by ELI in 2020 can be found here.
Nationwide Efforts
These programs range from state-led central efforts to data-gathering by local watershed groups. States support these projects in a variety of ways, such as:
- Providing small grants for equipment and technical support.
- Training volunteers.
- Providing model research designs, called Quality Assurance Project Plans, to ensure that high quality data is generated.
- Doing onsite reviews to ensure community scientists are using best practices.
- Providing guidance on possible data uses and what type of data qualifies for each use.
The use of participatory science, and programs for reporting by the general public, is expanding to new arenas, such as:
- Reporting harmful algal blooms
- Monitoring wetland health
- Additional examples of citizen science programs that measure water quality can be found on ELI’s Participatory Science Database.
For examples of participatory science initiatives in the water quality arena please visit