These sessions are designed to inform citizens of the program’s goals and how to monitor and evaluate physical and chemical features of water. Six water quality parameters, measured with a customized test kit, form the core of the citizen data.
Citizens who monitor lakes or deeper waterbodies often use a Secchi disk to determine the degree of visibility in natural waters. The 20 cm diameter disk is weighted and has a line that is marked every tenth meter. To collect samples from deeper waterbodies, monitors can use a remote sampler. This sampler can also be used to conduct depth profiles in a lake, up to 10 ft. deep. Citizens who monitor brackish and/or marine waters on the coast also measure salinity with a hydrometer.