Waterwatch monitors are passionate about the environment. They are personally motivated and want to make a difference. One valuable contribution is to generate data that can be used by river managers to improve the state of catchments and waterways.
Monitoring activities have other uses too, including:
• Environmental programs with cities/shires
• Friends of groups who take a comprehensive approach to caring for their patch
• Education purposes – primary, secondary and tertiary institutions
• Individuals who may monitor fitness for use eg salinity levels in stock water
Volunteers' experience can influence data collection and the Corangamite CMA Waterwatch officers use information from the Data Confidence Plan to validate and document recorded data.
DSE has committed funding to an improved data management system that will be implemented in 2010-11. This will make Waterwatch data more accessible to data users, the public, educators, CMA officers and NRM agencies.
WATERWATCH DATA AVAILABLE ONLINE
River, stream and creek water quality information collected by Waterwatch volunteers over the past 19 years is now available to the public following the launch of the new online Waterwatch Victoria Data Management System.
Click here for more information.