National Water Monitoring Day Goes Global!

By Edward Moyer, ACWF Coordinator for World Water Monitoring Day - e.moyer@acwf.org

Measuring Tempurature
of Judd Creek.

For 2003, America's Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) is asking, "How do we build on the successes of the inaugural National Water Monitoring Day?"

Since water is a vital resource that knows no boundaries, the answer is obvious-continue what began in the United States last year and expand it to include other members of the global community.

Launched last October as part of the "Year of Clean Water" celebration of the U.S. Clean Water Act's 30th anniversary, National Water Monitoring Day served as a platform for over 75,000 people to participate in water monitoring events, water festivals, and other educational outreach activities held across the country. Teachers, students and first-time volunteers joined water professionals and organized monitors from October 11-25, the monitoring window for last year's activities. Over 5,150 sites were registered nationally with data reported for over 70% of the total sites. In addition, media coverage associated with the local events highlighted watershed issues for a vast public audience.

Along with several federal, state and local environmental agencies, volunteer monitoring groups and other non-governmental organizations, the LaMotte Company played a major role in National Water Monitoring Day. LaMotte shipped out 4,620 tests kits especially prepared for this event. The kits were easy to use and allowed up to 50 separate tests. Monitored parameters included dissolved oxygen, acidity (pH), temperature and turbidity so that volunteer monitors could screen the health of local waters.

October 18, 2003 is the date for World Water Monitoring Day. America's Clean Water Foundation and its national partners welcome the International Water Association (IWA) to this important global event. IWA is a global network of water professionals that spans the continuum between research and practice. Its strength lies in the professional and geographical diversity of its membership.

Working together, this partnership will seek to increase participation throughout the United States and introduce World Water Monitoring Day in five other pilot countries this year. Invitations for our neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico, along with Australia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, will be carried through the IWA network, along with other partners with international ties. Both Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI) are very active outside the United States, as well, and support our global outreach.

Why is this collaborative effort so important? Water covers approximately seventy percent of the earth's surface. Ninety-seven percent of the total water resource is saltwater and two percent is held in frozen glaciers. This leaves just one percent that is readily available to support life. The global hydrologic cycle constantly moves water from the atmosphere to land, oceans, lakes, rivers and streams and then returns it again to the atmosphere. As it travels through this cycle, it is put to many uses.

Water is essential to grow food, quench thirst and manufacture goods. It is also a critical component for vast sporting and recreational uses. Most importantly, however, it is the key resource in the survival of mankind.

For this reason, we simply must continue efforts to preserve and protect the water resources we share throughout the world. It is important to educate people in all countries that their dependence on water connects them together regardless of geo-political boundaries. Of particular importance in achieving this goal will be the alliance with teachers throughout the world who can instill this message to the coming generations.

World Water Monitoring Day is an ambitious international effort to focus attention on the importance of the one percent of Earth's useable water resource that we use. Until individuals modify behaviors that may have harmful effects on water resources and, instead, become active participants in protecting the health of their watershed, we cannot rest.

America's Clean Water Foundation, the International Water Association and all the supporting partners (including the LaMotte Company) will continue the work begun in October 2002. We encourage strong grassroots efforts to join with us to build World Water Monitoring Day into an international educational outreach that will result in clean water everywhere for everyone!

For more information please contact Edward Moyer, ACWF Coordinator for World Water Monitoring Day (e.moyer@acwf.org) or check out www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.