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Program Information

Monitoring Overview

What's Monitored

Becoming a Citizen Scientist (Training)

Monitoring Schedules

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

Participating Communities

Program Partners

Monitoring Manuals and
Quality Assurance
Project Plans (QAPPs)

Monitoring Data and Results

Water Quality Factsheets

Research Connections

Additional Resources

URI Watershed Watch Monitoring Manuals

Providing a detailed written monitoring manual is an essential component of assuring quality data - it helps make sure that everyone is on the same page - literally. URI Watershed Watch volunteers all receive a copy of the monitoring manual specific to the type of waterbody they monitor. Typically our manuals are divided into five sections:

I. General Information
II. How to Monitor
III. Specific Monitoring Techniques (detailed instructions)
IV. Directions for Water Samplers
V. Supplemental Information

The first two sections are usually specific to the ecosystem being monitored, with the later sections common to all the manuals. They are also updated on nearly an annual basis in order to address any issues or questions that came up the previous monitoring season.

Our current manuals are available online as pdfs both by individual sections and in complete manual form:

URIWW Monitoring Manuals - Sections

I. General Information / II. How to Monitor

• Lakes Specific (29 pp. 1.8 MB)
• Narrow River Specific (29 pp. 1.8 MB)
• Wadable Stream Specific (6 pp. 275 KB)
• Block Island Specific (25 pp. 2 MB)
• Salt Pond Coalition Specific (26 pp. 1.1 MB)

III. Specific Monitoring Techniques (detailed instructions) (24 pp. 1.8 MB)
IV. Directions for Water Samplers (Collecting Samples) (5 pp. 1.2 MB)
V. Supplemental Information (44 pp. 4 MB)

URIWW Monitoring Manuals - Complete

• Aquatic Plant Survey Manual (17 pp. 224 KB)
• Lake, Pond and Reservoir Monitoring Manual (102 pp. 8.3 MB)
• Narrow River Monitoring Manual (102 pp. 8.8 MB)
• Wadable Streams Monitoring Manual (70 pp. 5.7 MB)
• Greenwich Bay Monitoring Manual (58 pp. 3.8 MB)
• Salt Ponds Monitoring Manual for the Great Salt Pond, Block Island (82 pp. 5.8 MB)