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Home / Events / Become a Volunteer Water Quality Citizen Scientist
Become a Volunteer Water Quality Citizen Scientist and gain hands-on experience collecting data and water samples throughout the District! All interested volunteers are required to attend one training session. Training sessions for 2022 will all be held online via video conference and online resources.
Please Select one training from the drop down:
The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) awarded a grant to Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to continue the implementation of a DC-based citizen science water quality monitoring program with the goal of providing up-to-date, weekly water quality data to residents and visitors by sampling for bacteria, turbidity, pH, air and water temperature weekly from May-September.
After attending a training session, attending an in-person demo, and passing a certification test, volunteers become certified water quality citizen scientists who can help collect water quality samples.
Generally, a certified water quality citizen scientist helps collect water quality samples from 24 sites weekly during the summer. Sampling is done Wednesday, with Thursday mornings as a backup for inclement weather. Each site is sampled for bacteria, water temperature, air temperature, pH, and turbidity. Do not worry if these terms are unfamiliar; all will be taught in the training.
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