World Water Monitoring Day

October 18 was World Water Monitoring Day and presented an important opportunity for everyone to become involved in their community on local, national and international scales.  Volunteer water monitors all over the world tested four basic indicators of water quality between September 18 and October 18:

• dissolved oxygen,
• acidity (pH),
• temperature
• turbidity

These are important, yet basic indicators of the water’s quality.  Data collected is entered into a global database that stores all information collected during the monitoring period.  World Water Monitoring Day celebrates the culmination of a month-long monitoring period that provides ample time to collect data from around the world.

Everyone can participate in the monitoring effort, which takes place every year.  You don’t have to be an experienced water monitor to participate.   This is a great way to learn how monitoring helps to protect our waters.  You can perform four simple tests, learning what each result shows about the water’s quality!   Your results are entered into the international World Water Monitoring Day database so everyone can access them.

America’s Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) and the International Water Association (IWA), together with the Association of State and Interstate Water Administrators and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency coordinate efforts leading up to World Water Monitoring Day each year on October 18.  Principal sponsors include Southern Company, Smithfield Foods, Weyerhaeuser Foundation, C & M Capitolink and CDM.

Members of the Nanticoke Tributary Action Team have volunteered to participate and monitor waterways in their community.  Last year, several members of the Murderkill Tributary Action Team participated in the event.

The goal of this annual worldwide educational event is to create a network of people from around the world; people of all ages, backgrounds, faiths, creeds and ethnicities who are willing to invest in the protection of their communities' waterways.

Volunteers performed simple and fun tests in safe, accessible areas.  If you are interested in taking part next year, please contact Jen Campagnini or check out www.worldwatermonitoringday.org to learn more.  You may also visit www.acwf.org or www.iwahq.org.uk for related information. 

Participation is enjoyable and relatively easy.  In addition to the basic tests, you can also complete more technical analyses such as macroinvertebrate (water bug) counts, nitrogen and phosphorus content, and speed of the water flow.   Test kits may be ordered at minimal cost through the World Water Monitoring Day website.   Results of the monitoring are also shared at this site.