About Riverwatch
Although the quantity of water on earth will never change, its distribution and quality affects us all!
Hoosier Riverwatch has been training citizen volunteers in water quality monitoring since 1996! In this time, we have held 350 workshops and trained 4500 citizens statewide! Riverwatch monitors come from diverse backgrounds including teachers (Elementary through University-level), youth group leaders, surveyors, farmers, local and state government employees, and members of lake associations, river groups, and conservation clubs. We estimate 300-400 groups are actively monitoring around the state. These certified volunteers educate and involve others in water monitoring and allow approximately 10,000 youth and adults to participate in monitoring their local waterways annually. Volunteer water monitors of all ages develop a sense of stewardship within the watersheds in which they live. Our hope is that active participation and sustained monitoring will lead to respect, understanding, and protection of Indiana's waterbodies now and into the future! (updated April 2006)
Partnerships
Our many partnerships - including the Volunteer Instructor program - assist us in training educators and citizen volunteers about watersheds and the critical relationship between land use, runoff, and water quality. Youth and adult volunteers are taking civic action to protect and improve the water quality in their own communities.
- Natural Resources Education Center
- Friends of the White River - River School On-the-Water Learning
- Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy
- Citizens Monitoring Bacteria Research Project
- Earth Force/GREEN - Protecting Our Watersheds
- Healthy Water, Healthy People
- World Water Monitoring Day
- Ecologik Interactive Educational CD-ROMs
- Veolia Water Indianapolis
