Build monitoring systems

With their own affordable water quality monitoring equipment, a community can monitor for the issues it is concerned with. You’ll work with experienced scientists to assemble and install a low-cost monitoring system in strategic locations. These samplers operate with a solar powered battery. They send a text to your cell phone when there is enough water to sample. The samples are then collected and dropped off at a laboratory on a regular basis. This equipment can be installed near a river, stream, or edge of an agricultural field.

After participating in this activity, you should be able to...

• Understand how water quality monitoring systems are configured and what they are capable of providing to a community.

• Fabricate simple electronic monitoring devices.

• Collect samples and drop them off at a laboratory.

• Explain how monitoring water quality can be informed by a One Water approach.

• Basic understanding of water quality contaminants of concern, sources of pollution and current Colorado regulations.

Watch this for some background...

Contact(s)

Is your group ready to pitch in?

Christina Welch, Colroado State University Ag Water Quality Program, c.welch@colostate.edu