River Watch
Program Overview
Protecting our Water Quality
Across the nation, there is a surprising lack of data on the levels of pollution in our rivers and streams. Policy decisions are made every day without any data to inform them. The goal of River Watch is to acquire that data so that policy makers have the information they need to make good decisions.
River Watch of Colorado is a statewide volunteer water quality-monitoring program operated in partnership between River Science and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). The River Watch mission is to work with voluntary stewards to monitor water quality and other indicators of watershed health and utilize this high-quality data to educate communities and inform decision-makers about the condition of Colorado’s waters. This program is unique in its statewide focus and frequency of data collection.
GARNA volunteers, in partnership with others from Trout Unlimited and Crest Academy, perform monthly water quality sampling at fourteen River Watch sites along the Arkansas River and its major tributaries. Volunteers collect samples and analyze them for a variety of critical water quality parameters, including:
- Temperature
- pH
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Hardness
- Alkalinity
Additional samples are sent to the CPW lab to be tested for heavy metals and organic nutrient loads. Aquatic macroinvertebrate samples are collected annually. The quantity and diversity of these indicator species gives a picture of overall river health.
Program Objectives
River Watch in Action
The data collected by GARNA volunteers is being used to develop an EPA “9-Element” Watershed Plan for Chaffee County. The plan will identify any existing water quality issues, propose potential solutions, and prioritize them to help guide future efforts to improve water quality in the watershed. GARNA is working with nonprofit partners who are developing similar River Watch programs in Lake and Fremont Counties.
Get Involved
GARNA is working to expand our infrastructure to accommodate more River Watch volunteers. We envision a watershed-wide monitoring network, run by trained volunteers, to keep a vigilant eye on our water quality and stream health. For more information or to add your name to the list of interested volunteers, contact Chris Lamson, GARNA’s Water Quality Coordinator at chris @ garna.org
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