World Water Monitoring Day

World Water Monitoring Day

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act on October 18, 1972, National Water Monitoring Day was instituted in 2002. It was begun on the initiative of America's Clean Water Foundation in partnership with volunteer organizations and federal and state agencies. President George W. Bush, the Senate, and various governors issued proclamations declaring 2002 the Year of Clean Water.

Building on the success of the first event, the following year America's Clean Water Foundation partnered with the International Water Association to create the first World Water Monitoring Day on October 18, 2003. It became an annual event, taking place again in 2004 and 2005. The next World Water Monitoring Day will be October 18th, 2006.

For these events, people are encouraged to visit their local watershed and gather data for four key parameters- dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, and temperature. This is done to promote the health of local watersheds and for educational purposes. There are four steps to participate: Registering your site, preparing your monitoring equipment, using your equipment to gather the data, and then entering the data into the World Water Monitoring Day website database. Site registration begins on July 18 and the monitoring may take place any time between September 18th and October 18th.

Related Links:

World Water Monitoring Day and Friends of Sligo Creek

Friends of Sligo Creek has participated in World Water Monitoring Day in the past and expects to continue in the future. Here are results from past FOSC participation in this event:

2005
Mike Smith participated in World Water Monitoring Day for Sligo Creek in September 2005. Also view 2005 results for Sligo Creek by clicking on the reports tab on the WWMD database page.

Location of Sample Date Time Dissolved Oxygen
(mg/l)		 Turbidity
(FTU)		 pH
(units)		 Water Temperature
(degrees C)
Sligo Creek at Green Meadows Park 9/24/05 8:00am 6.5 3 7.73 21.8
Takoma Branch at mouth 9/24/05 7:45am 9.2 3 7.88 20.8
Wheaton Branch at mouth 9/24/05 7:15am 7.2 3 7.60 20.8

2004
Steve Cavallo and Mike Smith participated in World Water Monitoring Day for Sligo Creek in October 2004. Also view 2004 results for Sligo Creek by following the instructions on the WWMD 2004 Data page.

Location of Sample Date Time Dissolved Oxygen
(mg/l)		 Turbidity
(FTU)		 pH
(units)		 Water Temperature
(degrees C)		 Air Temperature
(degrees C)
Sligo Creek at Heather Lane 10/15/04 10:15am 4 0 8 14 19.44
Sligo Creek at Green Meadows Park 10/16/04 7:00am 5.2 4 7.69 14.4  
Takoma Branch at mouth 10/16/04 7:20am 4 8 7.61 14.1  
Wheaton Branch at mouth 10/16/04 7:50am 2.9 11 7.39 14.8  

2002
Chris Victoria organized Friends of Sligo Creek participation in National Water Quality Monitoring Day on October 18, 2002. Also view 2002 results for Sligo Creek by following the instructions on the WWMD 2002 Data page.

Location of Sample Dissolved Oxygen
(mg/l)		 Turbidity
(JTU)		 pH
(units)		 Temperature
(degrees C)
Sligo downstream from Takoma Branch 8 40 8 12
Sligo upstream from Takoma Branch 4 40 8 12
Sligo downstream from Long Branch 8 0 7.5 12
Sligo upstream from Long Branch 8 0 7.5 12
Sligo upstream from Piney Branch Road 8 40 8 12
Sligo at Dallas Avenue 4 40 8 12
Sligo at Beltway 4 0 8 12
Sligo Tributary below Parkside Bridge 4 0 7 12
Long Branch in Becca Lilly Park 8 0 7.5 14
Long Branch upstream from Carroll Avenue 8 0 7.25 12
Long Branch upstream from Piney Branch Road 6 0 6.75 12
Long Branch at Upper Long Branch Park 8 0 7.25 12
Takoma Branch 4 40 8 12

Parameters

Dissolved Oxygen
A measure of the amount of oxygen carried by the water. DOs below 5 mg/L mean big trouble for critters while those above 5 mg/L mean things are ok. DO varies with time of day since it is related to photosynthesis. Flowing waters in Maryland typically have DOs in the 7 to 10 mg/L range.
Turbidity
A measure of water clarity. Sediment from stream bank erosion, construction site runoff, and other sources raises turbidity levels. High turbidity impacts all stream critters adversely. High sediment is one of the most persistent pollution problem facing Maryland streams. Unless it rains a day or two before taking the sample, the water should be fairly clear (0 to 40 JTU).
pH
A measure of water acidity. Pure water has a pH of about 7. Seawater has a pH of about 8.1. Freshwater streams in Maryland typically have pHs ranging from a little over 6 to a little over 7. Critters get stressed out starting at about 5.5. Most critters are gone below 4.5.
Temperature
Temperature directly impacts aquatic critters and impacts water quality attributes of streams. Urban streams typically have elevated temperatures after storm events as rain water is heated up as it flows over pavement before it enters streams. Temperature is highly variable in Maryland streams, but generally follows seasonal trends (goes up in summer, down in winter).