Water Quality Monitors learn how to and monitor a designated monitoring site in a nearby river, creek, stream, or lake: Each month, our members monitor and report pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity/dissolved solids, and other indicators of water quality at their designated sites. Testers submit the results to a statewide database that is used to support academic research, inform conservation policy, and serve as an early warning system for water quality impairments across Texas. The Gideon Lincecum chapter of Texas Master Naturalists participates in numerous water-related projects. Many of these projects require additional training and certification, which you can learn about on our Water Related Certifications page.
The TMN GLC Water Group meets virtually on 2nd Tuesday of every odd-numbered month to discuss the status of all water projects listed below, create new water projects, and support anyone working on Texas Waters Specialist certification. Any GLC member is welcome to learn more and gauge their interest in water. Contact Sheri Wilcox to be added to the meeting invitation and about any of the projects below.
For more information about any of the volunteer opportunities below, reach out to project lead, Wanda Anglin. To learn more about why our waterways are so important to Texas, visit our educational resources Waterway Guardian page.
Colorado River Watch Network (CRWN) – Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)
The Colorado River Watch Network (CRWN) supports community-based environmental stewardship by providing volunteers with the information, resources, and training necessary to monitor and protect the waterways of the lower Colorado River watershed.
CRWN is the first and largest regional volunteer network of water quality monitors in Texas. The success of the program is due in large part to the uncommon commitment of the volunteers.
Trained volunteers submit water quality data that is reviewed and analyzed by CRWN staff, creating an early warning system that alerts LCRA to potential water quality threats. Though CRWN only requires a two-year commitment to the monthly monitoring, many volunteers have been participating for 5 to 10 years.
Any water quality monitoring and reporting within the Lower Colorado River Basin is an activity supported by the CRWN. Data collected by CRWN monitors are uploaded to Texas Stream Team’s (TST) database quarterly. Any water quality monitoring outside the Colorado River Basin is supported by TST.
To learn more about Colorado River Watch Network, click here, or contact Wanda Anglin.
Texas Stream Team
Texas Stream Team at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment is a joint project with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is dedicated to understanding and protecting the 191,000 miles of Texas waterways. We bring together community members, students, educators, academic researchers, environmental professionals, and both public and private sector partners to conduct scientific research and to promote environmental stewardship.
Texas Stream Team has trained over 10,000 citizen scientists to monitor water and environmental quality across Texas. Trained citizen scientists are the first line of defense for Texas natural resources, documenting approximately 4,000 monitoring events to assess water resource conditions at over 400 sites annually.
Texas Stream Team activities are approved volunteer activities for the Texas Waters Specialist program. For more information about the Texas Stream Team, click here, or contact Wanda Anglin.
Adopt-A-Highway
Adopt-A-Highway activities, though not water projects, per se, are related because trash on highways and roads go into ditches and during heavy rainfall, ditches transport the trash to streams and then onto rivers, and often, into the Gulf. So we mention trash pickup here because it is relevant to water and because if you seek recertification of your Texas Waters Specialist certification, Adopt-a-Highway activities count as volunteer service for this certification.
River Cleanups
Throughout the year, across multiple counties, we host river cleanups where volunteers on small water craft and on the shorelines collect and remove hundreds of pounds of trash. Keep an eye on your TMNGLC email and the website calendar to sign up for these opportunities. Contact River Cleanup projects leader Chuck Babb for more information.