Water Quality Monitoring

Please wear clothes you’re comfortable getting muddy or damp. For safety, we highly recommend long pants and closed-toed shoes.

Nope! The monitoring process is quick and simple, and you don’t need any special background or skills to get involved. We welcome everyone as a volunteer scientist!

A trained staff member will meet you at your first monitoring site and bring all the needed equipment monitoring kit, data sheets, bucket/rope, etc. You’ll work with them to learn how to use the equipment and record data at each of the sites on your route: they’ll be able to answer any questions you have, troubleshoot any potential problems, and show you exactly where to park and where to access the water for data collection. By the end of training, you’ll be all set to monitor your route for the rest of the field season!

You are committing to sampling your route once a month, April – October. You choose the day/time that you complete your monitoring each month, so there is a lot of flexibility! Equipment can be picked up/dropped off at four different locations in the Greater Toledo area, based on your location and availability.