From this page we provide you with links to past highlighted programs so that you can learn more about the variety of volunteer water quality monitoring programs that are sponsored or co-sponsored by Cooperative Extension across the nation.

Washington State University Beach Watchers:

The WSU Beach Watchers program began in 1990 to provide education related to watersheds of the marine environment; it is not solely a monitoring program. Today, most intertidal zone monitoring sites (located in Puget Sound) are assessed once each year for biological organisms and physical parameters.

The University of Vermont Watershed Alliance:

For four years now, the Watershed Alliance, a partnership of University of Vermont Extension, the School of Natural Resources and Sea Grant, has made it possible for secondary schools and youth groups throughout Vermont to bring the classroom into the outdoors and learn about the watersheds in which they live. Students become 'citizen scientist' as they conduct water quality monitoring collecting valuable data on bacteria, phosphorous, temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and macro invertebrates.

The Water Education and Training (W.E.T.) Project in Ferry County and the eastern part of the Colville Reservation in Washington:

The Water Education and Training (W.E.T.) Project in Ferry County and the eastern part of Colville Reservation of Washington started June 1, 1999, under USDA Coopearative Extension Water Quality Funding. In cooperation with Washington State University, this program established and expanded an Extension Water Quality Program that is addressing educational needs and empowering volunteers of this previously under-served area.

Tahoe-Truckee Snapshot Day

Snapshot Day, sponsored by the Tahoe-Truckee Clean Water Team - a working group of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition (LTEEC), is designed to get community volunteers involved in monitoring the water moving through the Lake Tahoe and Truckee River watersheds. Monitoring locations included tributaries to Lake Tahoe, shoreline and sites within Lake Tahoe, and the Truckee River and its tributaries from Tahoe City to Pyramid Lake near Reno.

Alabama Water Watch

AWW was established in 1992. Accomplishments the program to date (as of
mid-2009) include:

• EPA-approved chemical and bacteriological Quality Assurance protocols
• 250 Citizen Groups and 5,100 Certified Monitors
• 2,000 Sampling Sites on 760 Waterbodies
• 295,000 Measurements
• 38 Active Citizen Trainers
• Relational Database and Website (www.alabamawaterwatch.org)
• Global Water Watch
• Community-based watershed projects (https://aww.auburn.edu/cbwmgate.aspx)
  
• Formation of a non-profit agency, the Alabama Water Watch Association, by local groups throughout the state to support the AWW Program

New England Collaborations

Each of the five New England Extension volunteer water quality monitoring programs (started as early as 1978 and as recently as 1999) has countless success stories of how they have impacted local communities and improved water quality. But perhaps the greatest success story is their history of regional collaboration. New England Extension monitoring programs share tools and learn from the strengths of their sister programs throughout the region.

St. Louis River Riverwatch

The St. Louis River – River Watch project is a youth-based water quality monitoring program for the St. Louis River and its tributaries in northeastern Minnesota. This project aimed at secondary school students promotes and inspires stewardship of the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior and other area streams.

IOWATER

IOWATER, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' volunteer water quality monitoring program, empowers citizens to take a proactive approach to water quality. By monitoring the waters in their own backyards, Iowa's citizens ensure the protection, longevity and productivity of high quality water resources. They also help evaluate, assess, and improve waters of lower quality.

Utah Lake Watch

More than 30 water enthusiasts in 15 Utah counties have offered a few hours of their leisure time to monitor the health of the state’s lakes and reservoirs. Led by the Utah State University’s Water Quality Extension group, the volunteers are providing the Utah Division of Water Quality valuable information about the condition of Utah’s waters.

Great Bay Coast Watch

A group of dedicated volunteers has played an integral role in monitoring and preserving New Hampshire’s coastal and estuarine waters since 1990. Currently, more than 100 volunteers are part of the Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW) and help to collect information regarding the chemical, physical and biological attributes within the Great Bay estuarine system. These volunteers regularly monitor 25 sites along the New Hampshire coastline and within its two estuaries.

Georgia Adopt-A-Wetland

The Coastal Georgia Adopt-A-Wetland (AAW) program is a grant funded volunteer monitoring program that was established in 2002 through the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service. Program goals include educating individuals about water quality, wetland importance, biodiversity, and impacts on these habitats due to invasive species, non point source pollution, and coastal development. We achieve these goals through free training sessions focusing on chemical and biological monitoring, biannual wetland clean up events, teacher workshops, conference presentations, summer programs and public outreach.

Michigan Clean Water Corps

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) is a network of volunteer monitoring programs in Michigan. It was created through an executive order by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm to assist the DEQ in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs.

CoCoRAHS

Have you ever wondered how much rain fell in your backyard from that afternoon shower? Folks both young and old are now measuring precipitation right in their own yards through a program called "CoCoRaHS".

Montana Watercourse

Montana Watercourse is a statewide water education program that supports water resource decision making and stewardship by providing unbiased information, resources, tools and education to all water users. The program is housed on the Montana State University Campus in Bozeman, Montana, and is part of the Montana Water Center.

Curry Watersheds

Curry Watersheds is a partnership among Curry Soil and Water Conservation District, South Coast Coordinating Watershed Council, Lower Rogue Watershed Council, and South Coast Watersheds 501(c)3. Curry Watersheds include several wild and scenic rivers, and coastal streams flowing through 10 estuaries along 25% of the rugged Oregon coastline. Strategic planning and allocation of restoration funds are supported by the water quality monitoring program.