Spring training sessions are open! No prior experience is necessary to join the DC Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring program, which runs May through September. Learn about water quality and gain hands-on experience collecting data and water samples throughout the District. Anyone 18 years and older, or kids with a chaperone can help. After attending a virtual training session, an in-person demo, and passing a certification test, volunteers become certified water quality citizen scientists who can help collect water quality samples.
The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) awarded a grant to Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to continue the implementation of a DC-based citizen science water quality monitoring program with the goal of providing up-to-date, weekly water quality data to residents and visitors by sampling for bacteria, turbidity, pH, air and water temperature weekly from May-September.
Generally, a certified water quality citizen scientist helps collect water quality samples from 24 sites weekly during the summer. Sampling is done Wednesday, with Thursday mornings as a backup for inclement weather. Each site is sampled for bacteria, water temperature, air temperature, pH, and turbidity. Do not worry if these terms are unfamiliar; all will be taught in the training.
