Volunteer Monthly Monitors

Since 1995, our Volunteer Monthly Monitoring Program has been the backbone of CRWA’s work. We rely heavily on our volunteers to take water quality samples on a monthly basis along the Charles River as part of one of the oldest and largest volunteer sampling programs in the country. Once a month, more than eighty community scientist volunteers gather at multiple sites along the Charles River to collect water samples, record river conditions, and measure depth and temperature. Our data and analyses helps us study the health of the river and also assist municipalities, environmental agencies, and organizations who work to minimize stormwater impacts and reduce sewage contamination in the river.

Volunteers are fully trained by a CRWA staff member and all equipment is provided. Please keep in mind you may ask to be put on the waiting list for a site that is already filled. At this time, CRWA has implemented precautions and socially distant measures to this program to ensure the safety of our volunteers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Questions?

Iris Seto, Rita Barron Fellow
iseto@crwa.org
617.540.5650 x1072

Available Volunteer Opportunities:

CRWA volunteers sample at 6:00 AM. We ask our volunteers to commit to at least one year with the program. If you love early mornings on the river, consider applying to our available positions. 

Monthly Monitor Sampling Sites
59CS - Mellen St., Bellingham
635S - Dock at Historic Newton Boathouse (Substitute sampler)
715S - Arsenal St., Watertown

We are also seeking regional samplers in and around Bellingham, and Needham. Regional samplers will have the opportunity to fill-in at different sampling locations along the Charles River when our monthly volunteers are absent. They should be flexible, adventurous, and willing to hold all sampling dates (listed below) even if they are not called upon to sample each month, and should expect to sample 6 - 10 months of the year. Car required.
 

Updated December 2021

2021 monitoring SCHEDULE

Monitoring dates typically fall on the third Tuesday of the month. Dates are occasionally shifted due to holidays and weather events.

2021 Sampling Dates

• Tuesday, January 12, 2021
  (Winter Backup Date: January 26, 2021)
• Tuesday, February 9, 2021
  (Winter Backup Date: February 23, 2021)
• Tuesday, March 16, 2021
  (Winter Backup Date: March 23, 2021)
• Tuesday, April 13, 2021
• Tuesday, May 18, 2021
• Tuesday, June 15, 2021
• Tuesday, July 20, 2021
• Tuesday, August 17, 2021
• Tuesday, September 21, 2021
• Tuesday, October 19, 2021
• Tuesday, November 16, 2021
• Tuesday, ​December 14, 2021
  (Winter Backup Date: December 21, 2021)

Volunteer resources

• Additional blank field data sheets in PDF or Word​​
• Training Manual
• Volunteer Monthly Monitoring Reports and Data

Refresher Training

CRWA recommends that all Volunteer Monthly Monitors review training materials once per year to ensure that volunteers have a good understanding of water quality sampling procedures, which in turn, results in high quality data. CRWA also provides online training as a refresher for volunteers. This refresher is divided into 6 steps, and should take you approximately 1-2 hours to complete.
​
Step 1: Please review the Training Manual.

Step 2: Please program the following phone numbers into your phone:

• CRWA Office: (781) 788-0007
• Your volunteer coordinator's cell phone (see reminder email)
• Your sampling partner's cell phone
• Your drop-off site coordinator's cell phone
• Contact the volunteer coordinator if you cannot find the appropriate contact information for your sampling partner or drop-off site coordinator

Step 3: Please review this year's sampling dates, and enter all the sampling dates into your calendar. If there is a sampling event you know in advance you will not be able to participate in, please let the volunteer coordinator know as soon as possible.
​
Step 4: Watch the training video appropriate to the sampling methods at your site (i.e. watch only one of the videos below, either the basket sampler video or the pole sampler video):

​Step 5: Please complete the Online Refresher Quiz.

Step 6: Contact the volunteer coordinator to inform them you have completed the refresher training.
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Thank you for taking the time to complete this refresher training. Your efforts help us collect high quality, accurate data!

Equipment form

2022 Monitoring Schedule

Monitoring dates typically fall on the third Tuesday of the month. Dates are occasionally shifted due to holidays and weather events.

2022 Sampling Dates

• Tuesday, January 11, 2022
  (Winter Backup Date: January 25, 2022)
• Tuesday, February 8, 2022
  (Winter Backup Date: February 15, 2022)
• Tuesday, March 15, 2022
  (Winter Backup Date: March 22, 2022)
• Tuesday, April 12, 2022
• Tuesday, May 17, 2022
• Tuesday, June 14, 2022
• Tuesday, July 19, 2022
• Tuesday, August 16, 2022
• Tuesday, September 20, 2022
• Tuesday, October 18, 2022
• Tuesday, November 15, 2022
• Tuesday, ​December 13, 2022
  (Winter Backup Date: December 20, 2022)