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Water Quality Monitoring Program - VOLUNTEERING

Rivers Unlimited brings people to water. This simple act is a powerful tool for protecting our waterways. We have always had to build around water, and though impinged upon in a variety of ways, our waterways have remained an oasis for things left wild. So get wild with us and get to the water this weekend! Or volunteer in the lab and have the river brought to you! 

Volunteer opportunities: 

  • Stream Samplers - Be boots on the ground sampling streams in every community of the watershed.
  • Lab Analysts - We have a beautiful and enjoyable space at the UC Center for Field Studies which is nestled within Miami Whitewater Forest. 

What Do We Sample: 

Volunteers collect samples from the Great Miami and nearly all of its tributaries in Hamilton County. View a map of current sampling sites.

Why:

The lab is certified as Level II by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The data are used to: 

  • understand long-term trends
  • evaluate effectiveness of pollution controls
  • conduct initial screenings of water quality conditions
  • coordinate with local regulatory/educational institutions on research studies
  • promote public awareness and education about surface waters of Ohio

Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering. You are also welcome to show up at the lab and take a tour of our monitoring operation from 10:00am to 1:00pm on the second Saturdays of each month March - November.

STREAM SAMPLERS

If you are interested in sampling, we provide 2 sampling bottles per site. One is for the bacteria test and the other is for the rest of the tests.

When taking samples:

  • Rinse the bottle and lid three times downstream of your sampling site so as not to disturb any sediment in the area you will be sampling.
  • Take the sample in moving water
  • Try to collect the sample from the middle of the water column, trying not to pull sediment from the bottom or floating material on the top
  • Fill out a field data sheet when you collect each sample
  • You will be asked to either pull samples in one large bottle (250 mL) and one large and one small bottle (60 mL).
  • Label each bottle with the site id. You’ll find this info on the field data sheet.

We also have sampling sticks available to access hard to reach moving water. Most sites are at bridges where the land adjacent to the bridge is public property.

Samples should arrive at the lab between 9:00 and 11:00am. To conform to quality controls, all samples must be taken the morning of analysis.

If you'd like to see a demonstration of proper sampling technique, simply come to the UC Center for Field Studies between 11:00 and 1:00 on a sampling day. Howards Creek runs trough the property and is easily accesible for training.

Contact us for available sites today.

LAB ANALYSTS 

All volunteer analysis is done at the UC Center for Field Studies. Here we have access to a professional quality lab and equipment.

What to Expect When You Arrive at the Lab...

Mike Miller, retired UC biology professor, will give you an overview of our program and then take you on a tour of the lab, explaining each parameter and why it is important. Analysts can then choose one test and perform it across all samples for the day. Mike will give thorough and easily mastered steps for the analysis you choose. We also have more challenging analyses for those experienced in lab techniques. The training videos, available in the column on the left of this page, offer detailed instructions for all lab and sampling activities.

Analysts should arrive at the UC Center for Field Studies around 10:30am. Analyses take 2-3 hours depending upon the parameter being tested.

We have volunteers of all ages assist in the lab, from high school through retirees. The lab is an enjoyable and relaxed environment with music, conversation, and lunch!

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