Click on the image to access online locational data showing monitoring sites for Volunteer Water Quality Monitors. Sites are updated quarterly.

The Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring (VWQM) Program is an opportunity for citizens to learn about water quality and get involved in one of Missouri Stream Team's most popular activities. Program goals include:

  • Informing and educating citizens about the conditions of our streams
  • Establishing a monitoring network
  • Generating water quality data
  • Enabling citizens
  • Halting degradation of Missouri streams

VWQM engages people of all ages in the work of improving the health of Missouri’s streams. VWQM teaches citizens about watershed health, water quality and how to monitor a stream and collect useful data. Volunteer data can be used to inform and educate Missouri citizens, establish baseline data on rarely sampled streams, locate emerging water quality problems and identify long term trends in stream conditions. Highly trained volunteers collect data that may supplement agency-collected data. For more information regarding the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program and data, please email streamteam@dnr.mo.gov(link sends email)

*The Missouri Stream Team Program is a partnership between the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, Conservation Federation of Missouri(link is external) and the citizens of Missouri.  To learn more about the Missouri Stream Team program and the other activities offered for citizen engagement, visit the Missouri Stream Team(link is external) website.

Become a Volunteer

Members of a stream team "dancing" in a creek to stir up sediment for sampling

Did you know you can join a Stream Team and become a trained Volunteer Water Quality Monitor? Stream Team Volunteer Water Quality Monitors are trained citizen scientists who monitor stream health in Missouri. Volunteers adopt watersheds of all shapes and sizes. Some choose to monitor a stream in a small watershed near their home. Other times they choose the watershed of a larger river where they enjoy fishing and canoeing, such as the Meramec River. Chances are, wherever you live in Missouri, there will be a Volunteer Water Quality Monitor near you.

Because everything that is done on the land affects the quality of the water in your watershed, we need many trained monitors. Becoming a volunteer monitor is very simple, but requires some time and commitment on your part. Volunteers are expected to share the knowledge they gain with their community, periodically monitor a stream and submit collected data in a timely manner. The program provides each volunteer with training and equipment for monitoring the physical, biological and chemical parameters of Missouri's rivers and streams.

The first stage is to sign up for one of the Level 1 workshops. Workshops are offered statewide. For a current schedule of workshops, please visit the Missouri Stream Team's Calendar of Events(link is external) webpage. Please note the registration deadline for each workshop. Space is limited for these training classes, so register early!

Tab through to leave this widget
or
follow this link to go back to the first header