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

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 (33 pp. 1.2 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) (20 pp. 1.5 MB)
IV. Directions for Water Samplers (Collecting Samples) (5 pp. 274 KB)
V. Supplemental Information (51 pp. 3.2 MB)

URIWW Monitoring Manuals - Complete

• Aquatic Plant Survey Manual (17 pp. 224 KB)
• Lake, Pond and Reservoir Monitoring Manual (109 pp. 5.9 MB)
• Narrow River Monitoring Manual (102 pp. 8.5 MB)
• Wadable Streams Monitoring Manual (33 pp. 1.93 MB)
• Greenwich Bay Monitoring Manual (58 pp. 3.8 MB)
• Salt Ponds Monitoring Manual for the Great Salt Pond, Block Island (98 pp. 5.3 MB)
• Salt Pond Coalition Monitoring Manual (108 pp. 5.7 MB)