America's Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) and the International Water Association (IWA), together with a host of global partners, are sponsoring World Water Monitoring Day on 18 October 2003.
Both organisations created the annual event for two purposes. First, it will serve as an educational platform to introduce people to the importance of water monitoring and connect them personally with efforts to protect and preserve their local watersheds. Second, it will help expand the base of information available about the health of each watershed over time.
According to Paul Reiter, executive director of the IWA, "What we are looking for are people who have an interest in tracking the quality of their community waters and then sharing that information with the world. There is the opportunity here for people to adopt a local waterway and sample and report on its quality year after year. By working together, we intend to create a global core of concerned and action-oriented people who will become an important part of our efforts to educate the world's citizens about the critical need for clean water."
To become involved, participants must register the location of the local water body where they will perform water quality testing. To register a site, log onto www.worldwatermonitoringday.org and complete the site registration form. Participants are asked to perform tests for temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen. Kits have been produced with easy-to-use instructions and can be ordered from the website. The results will be compiled in a database, available on the website, and published in a report.
