Volunteer Monitors

ENTER DATA

Get involved

We welcome all volunteers, but prioritize the publicly accessible areas with water quality data needs. The wait time for a publicly accessible monitoring site may be as little as one month or up to two years.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer water quality monitor, please Contact LCRA and state that you are interested in the Colorado River Watch Network. You will then be contacted to discuss site locations, your monitoring interests, and to address any questions.

Certification requires a two-year commitment to monthly monitoring and a three phase training process:

  • Phase I: Learn water quality monitoring methods in a hands-on classroom setting. Testing procedures will be demonstrated and trainee(s) will be guided step-by-step as they conduct the tests. Safety precautions are strongly emphasized. Approximately 2 to 3 hours in length.
  • Phase II: Trainees will conduct water quality tests alongside a certified trainer in a field setting. The trainer provides feedback and assistance while carefully observing the trainee’s procedures. Approximately 2 hours in length.
  • Phase III: Testing is conducted by the trainee at the designated site where the volunteer will monitor water quality after becoming certified. The certified trainer will observe and provide limited guidance. Phase III certification usually takes 2 hours.

Previous certification by another program

Each volunteer water quality monitoring program uses slightly different monitoring protocols to ensure the quality of collected data. While training by any other agency/group is valuable, the CRWN program requires completion of a one phase refresher course of the CRWN training.