Volunteers Test Local Waterbodies
This past weekend, CHNEP hosted the Earth Echo Water Challenge. Volunteers met at Gilchrist Park to learn more about citizen science and why monitoring water quality is important.
The EarthEcho Water Challenge equips participants with the knowledge and tools to conduct basic water quality monitoring in nearby waterbodies! This international Challenge builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local waterbodies.
Participants learned how to conduct four tests with their kit:
Temperature that indicates how hot or cold the water is. Temperature is important because fish, plants, and other organisms require a certain temperature range to survive. Temperature also affects how much oxygen can be held in the water, colder water hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water.
Turbidity indicates how clear the water is. If the water has a high level of turbidity, that implies there are suspended solids in the water making it hazy.
pH indicates how acidic or alkaline the water is. Similar to temperature, aquatic organisms require a certain pH range to survive.
and Dissolved Oxygen that indicates how much oxygen is in the water. DO can be influenced by temperature, bacteria and other factors that affect water quality.
Once a sample is collected and the tests are conducted, results are added to the database at monitorwater.org and can be shared across social media using the tag #MonitorWater. We look forward to collecting samples for the rest of the year!
