Nonpoint Source: Volunteer Monitoring

EPA reference publications and other volunteer monitoring resources:

Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods manual (PDF) This document covers the basic elements of stream monitoring, how to conduct a watershed survey, how to measure various water quality components, and how to manage and present monitoring data. (EPA 841-B-97-003)

Volunteer Estuary Monitoring: A Methods Manual (PDF) (2006) This guide describes the role of volunteer monitoring in state programs and details how managers can best organize and administer these monitoring programs. The manual focuses on the concepts and plans developed by the EPA guide and places them in a nuts-and-bolts context specifically for volunteer estuary monitoring programs.

Volunteer Lake Monitoring: A Methods Manual (PDF) (1991) The purpose of this manual is to present methods for monitoring important lake conditions using citizen volunteers. This information will be helpful to agencies, institutions and private citizens wishing to start new volunteer monitoring efforts, as well as those who may want to improve an existing program. The citizen volunteer who uses these techniques will be able to collect reliable data that can be used with confidence for a variety of resource management purposes. (EPA 440491002)

The Volunteer Monitor's Guide to Quality Assurance Project Plans (PDF) (1996) The quality assurance project plan, or QAPP, is a document that outlines the procedures that those who conduct a monitoring project will follow to ensure that the data they collect and analyze meet project requirements. It is an invaluable planning and operating tool that outlines the project's methods of data collection, storage and analysis. It serves not only to convince skeptical data users about the quality of the project's findings but also to record methods, goals and project implementation steps for current and future volunteers and for those who may wish to use the project's data over time. (EPA 841-B96-003)

National Water Quality Monitoring Counci l : Offers an interactive map of monitoring activities.