RiverWatch
Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
The RiverWatch Team is a citizen science team that conducts monthly monitoring to keep tabs on the health of the San Diego River. Teams meet on Friday and Sunday for monitoring. If you are interested in learning more about the health of the River and the requirements to join the RiverWatch Team, please contact the RiverWatch Coordinator at (619) 297-7380 or by email volunteer@sandiegoriver.org.
Check out the RiverWatch data and Water Quality Reports in our
Online Information Center!
Learn more about water quality monitoring!
The Team uses a compact electronic sonde generously donated by Sontek/ YSI, to collect real-time data on the temperature, dissolved oxygen content, acidity or alkalinity, conductivity, and nutrient content of the River water at 15 different locations along the River. These parameters are used to provide a current picture of the state of the River water. The monthly monitoring results help provide an ongoing picture of how the River changes from season to season, and how that may affect the habitat, plants, and animals that live in and along the River.
The Team has also expanded its outlook to include more monitoring parameters. Water quality measurements of nutrients (phosphate and nitrate) are now taken on a monthly basis. In addition to documenting the presence of trash, invasive plants, and riparian fauna, the team now also monitors seasonal changes in river water quality characteristics for such metrics as odor, color, clarity, flow and undesirable substances.
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