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About Hoosier Riverwatch

Since 1996, Hoosier Riverwatch has engaged Indiana citizens in becoming active stewards of Indiana’s valuable water resources through its hands-on water quality education and volunteer stream monitoring program. The statewide Hoosier Riverwatch volunteer network is still going strong, with over 3,000 trained stream monitors and over 30 certified instructors.

Hoosiers who want to get their feet wet (wearing boots or waders, of course), learn about water quality issues, and discover how to monitor and protect their local streams are invited to join Hoosier Riverwatch. Enthusiastic instructors provide the training, loaner equipment trunks are available for volunteers, and nonprofit organizations may qualify for free monitoring equipment from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Office of Water Quality.

Following an eight-hour basic training workshop, participants will be qualified to conduct habitat and biological surveys of their local streams. Monitoring activities include collecting and identifying small stream organisms called macroinvertebrates -- which serve as bioindicators of water quality -- and determining the physical and chemical characteristics of the stream. The data that volunteers collect and add to Hoosier Riverwatch’s online database can be used to determine the health of streams and how they are changing over time. Join us and let’s work together to ensure the health and beauty of Indiana streams and watersheds for ourselves and future generations.

 

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