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Final Report for CWPF Project: River Watch <br />Macroinvertebrate Sampling <br />Program Summary <br />Colorado River Watch Program (River Watch) <br />`The Rivers of Colorado Water Watch Network' (River Watch) was created in 1989 <br />with the philosophy of training private and public school teachers and students to <br />collect and analyze samples. This was a perfect fit because schools will always be in a <br />community and teachers always need to teach concepts related to river ecology. The <br />program began with two primary goals that remain steadfast today. First, to provide a <br />hands-on experience for individuals to understand the value and function of the river <br />ecosystem and second, to collect quality aquatic ecosystem data over space and time <br />to be used for the Clean Water Act and other water quality decision-making <br />processes. <br />Today, River Watch has achieved these goals and continues to grow with the <br />dedication and commitment from thousands of volunteers. The program started with <br />six schools on the Yampa river and grew to cover all watersheds in Colorado and 350 <br />schools. Since 1989 we have involved over 60,000 individuals in Colorado, provided <br />data on 3,000 stations covering over 300 rivers. There are approximately 100 different <br />organizations actively participating in the program, with new groups being added each <br />year. Each volunteer group receives the training, support and supplies needed to <br />monitor their respective rivers and provide consistent and accurate data. A QA/QC <br />plan is in place to ensure the quality of the data collected, and a staff member visits <br />each group once a year in order to provide one on one support and technical <br />assistance. We have expanded our program to include biological and physical <br />habitat parameters. We are in the process of piloting a volunteer lake monitoring <br />program. Some students have received college credit for their River Watch skills, <br />others have acquired water-related employment from their interest and work in River <br />Watch, and most have carried their knowledge and passion for the river environment <br />where ever they go. <br />Our program is dependent on our volunteers. Volunteers agree to monitor on a <br />monthly basis. Samples are collected which the volunteers analyze for hardness, <br />alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature. Additional samples are collected to <br />be analyzed for total and dissolved metals, which include AI, As, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, <br />Mn, Pb, Na, K, Se and Zn. Twice a year volunteers collect nutrient samples that are <br />analyzed by for ammonia, chloride, sulfate, total suspended solids, total phosphorous, <br />nitrate and nitrite. Volunteers perform one physical habitat assessment to <br />accompany their annual macroinvertebrate sample which sent to an outside lab <br />for identification. <br />Quality assurance is essential in the program operation and in the use of the data. <br />Each volunteer group performs their sampling and analysis according to a uniform set <br />