Reference Materials

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring - (Virginia Save Our Streams – VA SOS) – Includes VA SOS web-based data entry page, data sheet downloads, virtual training session, and information on training opportunities – http://www.vasos.org/pages/Monitors.html .

Cleanup Events - (Virginia Waterways Cleanup/International Coastal Cleanup/Ocean Conservancy) – Every September and October, volunteers across Virginia gather along the shorelines of rivers, lakes, ponds and bays to pick up trash as part of the Virginia Waterways Cleanup Day (part of the International Coastal Cleanup). They also complete "International Coastal Cleanup Data Cards" from the Ocean Conservancy, helping to collect valuable information about the amounts, types and sources of debris found along Virginia's waterways. To learn how to be a team leader or how to participate, see http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/.

Coordination - (Citizens for Water Quality) - Coordinates volunteer water quality monitoring efforts and monitoring methodologies in Virginia, provides a funding mechanism for volunteer water quality monitoring, and promotes watershed water quality and stream health needs and issues – http://www.virginiacwq.org.

List Serve - (Citizens for Water Quality) - A forum for open exchange of information, announcements, thoughts, and ideas about water quality issues in Virginia.  http://www.virginiacwq.org.

Listserver - (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) - The Volmonitor Listserver connects volunteer water monitoring program coordinators nationwide by serving as an internet forum for questions, announcements, and discussion on topics of interest to the volunteer monitoring community. http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/.

Methods Manual - (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) – The Virginia Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Program October 2007 Methods Manual will help you make choices for what, when, and how to monitor when designing a monitoring program – http://www.deq.virginia.gov/cmonitor/.

Methods Manuals - (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) – http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/

Volunteer Estuary Monitoring: A Methods Manual - Methods for volunteer monitoring of estuarine waters.

Volunteer Lake Monitoring: A Methods Manual - Methods for volunteer monitoring of lakes.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual - Methods for volunteer monitoring of streams.

Volunteer Wetland Monitoring: An Introduction and Resource Guide - Describes a selection of handbooks and manuals that offer detailed information on volunteer wetland monitoring.

Newsletter - (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) -- Past and current issues of The Volunteer Monitor, a national newsletter published twice yearly. (The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of EPA, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation of use.) http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/ .

Quality Assurance/Quality Control - (Virginia Water Monitoring Council) – Basic QA/QC Concepts Fact Sheet modified from The Volunteer Monitor’s Guide to Quality Assurance Project Plans (EPA 841-B-96-003). 

Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) - (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) –Provides instructions on how to complete a QAPP, a QAPP Template, and a citizen monitoring plan template – http://www.deq.virginia.gov/cmonitor/grant.html.    

Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP) - (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) – The Volunteer Monitor's Guide to Quality Assurance Project Plans – Discusses EPA's guidance for documenting quality assurance methods, project organization, goals and objectives, with examples and references. http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/ .

Training and Field Monitoring Resources - (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay/James River Association) – Includes training manual, training cheat sheet, site and monitor forms, and basic field datasheet – http://www.alliancechesbay.org/project.cfm?vid=206.

Transparency Monitoring - (The Great North American Secchi Dip-In) – Individuals in volunteer monitoring programs take a transparency measurement on one day during the weeks surrounding Canada Day and July Fourth. A goal of the Dip-In is to increase the number and interest of volunteers in environmental monitoring. The Dip-In also provides a national perspective of water quality. Website includes monitoring methods, ways to participate, and more – http://dipin.kent.edu/index.htm.

Volunteer Monitoring Support - (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) – Provides fact sheets, methods manuals for estuary, lake, stream, and wetland monitoring, plus a guide to quality assurance project plans, a newsletter (The Volunteer Monitor), listserv, information about conferences and events, and more: http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/.

Water Quality Monitoring Support - (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) – Allows citizens of the Commonwealth to nominate portions of lakes, streams, and rivers of Virginia for water quality monitoring by DEQ. Explains the ways in which DEQ would like to make use of citizen collected monitoring information.  Lists grant and funding opportunities.  Published a methods manual for Virginia’s citizen monitors and QAPP/monitoring plan templates.  http://www.deq.virginia.gov/cmonitor/ .

World Water Monitoring Day - An international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies.  Between September 18 and October 18th, participants sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). To learn how to participate, see: http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/ .

World Water Monitoring Day Activity Guide for Virginia: This on-line guide will help you plan a safe and educational World Water Monitoring Day event on your school grounds, or in a nearby park.