URIWW Home

Online Data Entry

Program Contacts

Program Information

Monitoring Overview

What's Monitored

Becoming a Citizen Scientist

Volunteer Training

Monitoring Schedules

Current Monitoring Sites - Including Station #
- Lakes, Ponds & Reservoirs
- Rivers & streams
- Bays, salt ponds & harbors

Link to Bathymetric Maps of Some RI Ponds

Participating Communities

Program Partners

Monitoring Manuals

Monitoring Data and Results

Water Quality Factsheets

Research Connections

Aquatic Invasive Species

Cyanobacteria (Algal Blooms)

Success Stories

Additional Resources
- Science Fair - Water Projects
- Volunteer Monitoring
- Educational - Water Facts
- Agencies (Including URI)
- Organizations

Welcome to URI Watershed Watch

The URI Watershed Watch (URIWW) is a volunteer water quality monitoring program that works with local communities to assess water quality, identify sources of pollution in water and provide information about water leading to more effective management of critical water resources. Led by trained scientists, URI Watershed Watch helps local governments, watershed, tribal and other organizations recruit and train volunteers to become citizen scientists gathering detailed, quality assured monitoring data. Our comprehensive watershed-based program focuses on long-term environmental monitoring of RI's fresh and salt water resources including lakes, ponds, streams and coastal waters. We provide training, equipment, supplies and analytical services tailored to organizational needs, while meeting strict quality assurance and quality control guidelines in the field and in our state-certified water testing laboratory. Click here to learn more!

How's the Narragansett Bay and its watershed??
Watershed Counts will present its annual report on the state of the Narragansett Bay and its watershed to the RI legislature and the public on Tuesday, April 23rd.
Learn more from by clicking here!

Returning volunteers and new volunteers wishing to ready to practice their Secchi depth readings, please try out the Maine Secchi Disk Simulator at http://www.mainelakedata.org/recertify/. This great tool allows you to lower a disk on your computer - and even tells you when you've got it right! Great for learning or just "brushing up".

Recent Monitoring Data - Bacteria Results (Last updated 4/30/13)
2013 Blue Water Task Force Data (Enterococci)
2012 Bristol Harbor (Fecal coliform and enterococci)
2012 Salt Ponds (Fecal coliform and enterococci)
2012 Coastal Waters (CUSH, STB and Napatree Fecal coliform and enterococci)
2012 Roger Williams Park Ponds (Enterococci)
2012 Lakes, ponds & reservoirs (Enterococci)
2012 Rivers & streams (Enterococci)
2012 Tidal River and Shellfish Tributaries
(includes Narrow River and Sapowet Marsh sites)
2012 Tributaries - (Enterococci)
2012 Block Island (Fecal coliform and enterococci)
2012 - 2013 Nanaquaket Pond and Tributary (Enterococci and limited fecal coliform)

Call 401-874-2905 if you need to make arrangements for an earlier drop-off date or with questions regarding parking, etc. (Full schedules can be found and printed from here.)

Getting Involved -
No prior experience is needed to become a URI Watershed Watch citizen scientist - just an interest in making a difference by monitoring water! Our citizen scientists get to go out on their favorite lake, pond, stream or bay to gather information on water about once a week at mid-day from May through October. Monitoring teams are encouraged, and actively recruited to help share the work. Click here for more information about getting involved with environmental monitoring.