Three World Water Monitoring Day Notices from the Virginia Water Monitoring Council

The following information was provided via the Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC).  Please feel free to forward this information.  When forwarding, please acknowledge the VWMC.  Archived announcements are posted on the VWMC’s website: http://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/vwmc/announcements.asp.  The VWMC is able to provide these announcements and others because of a generous grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Virginia Department of Health.

1) World Water Monitoring Challenge
World Water Monitoring Challenge is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world.  The program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies by measuring the dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature of the water.  To participate, groups and individuals may submit data collected anytime between the period of March 22 (World Water Day) to December 31.

To participate in the World Water Monitoring Challenge:
Register your site. Choose any lake, stream, bay, or other waterbody where you can safely monitor. Register your site by going to “Participate” on the World Water Monitoring Challenge (WWMC) website: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.

Prepare your monitoring equipment. Use your own equipment or a WWMC test kit (see below).

Monitor your site. Invite others to help you monitor or do it yourself.  Monitor temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.  Visit your site any time before December 31 to test the water.  Remember, safety first!

Report your data. Submit your results by returning to the WWMC website and logging into your account.  Results may be entered any time before December 31, 2011 for inclusion in the annual World Water Monitoring Day summary reports.

2) World Water Monitoring Challenge Kits
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is distributing a limited number of water monitoring kits that can be used to test for dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature. These kits are available for free to schools and organizations that do not have water monitoring equipment.  DEQ requests that participants use these kits during the World Water Monitoring Challenge monitoring timeframe and submit their data as part of the World Water Monitoring Challenge activities (see above for instructions on participating).  Each kit can perform multiple tests for dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature.  Thus, one kit can be used to monitor several locations or be used by several different groups of monitors.  To request a free kit, please contact Mr. Stuart Torbeck by e-mail at charles.torbeck@deq.virginia.gov.  Please provide your complete mailing address, the number of locations you plan to monitor, the expected number of participants at any one time, and the total number of participants from your organization or school that you expect to participate in the World Water Monitoring Challenge.  This information will be used to determine how many kits you will likely need.

This year, the following organizations have donated monitoring kits:
Virginia Water Monitoring Council (www.VirginiaWMC.org);

United States Geological Survey Virginia Water Science Center (http://va.water.usgs.gov).

Kits can also be purchased by going to the World Water Monitoring Challenge website: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.  Groups with their own monitoring equipment are also invited to participate in this event.

3)  World Water Monitoring Day Activity Guide for Virginia
This on-line Activity Guide for Virginia will help you plan a safe and educational event on your school grounds, or in a nearby park.  The on-line guide, created by the Virginia Water Monitoring Council thanks to support from Altria, is available at http://vwrrc.vt.edu/vwmc/news.asp.

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