Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District (SRRWD) has partnered with South-Central Eco Institute to bring “River Watch” to the Roseau River Watershed. River Watch is a citizen-science program that provides schools with the opportunity to participate in water quality testing in their local rivers and streams. Students are involved in all aspects of the process, from collecting samples and identifying site characteristics, to running chemical analyses and conducting data entry. Students are able to monitor phosphorous, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, temperature, and a number of other parameters of water quality.
The SRRWD provides on-site technical support to assist teachers in making the most of their outings. Students are taught how to conduct the various chemical tests required to analyze these water quality parameters. They are also taught how to interpret their test results, and how they relate to the health of their local watershed. All data collected through the River Watch program are entered online at www.scecoinstitue.com, where the results are available to the public.
Not only does the River Watch program provide an opportunity for applied science on the water, but it also fills a need for water quality monitoring on the Roseau River. The SRRWD staff have established six testing sites along the Roseau River and its tributaries, East and West Pine Creek, and have begun on-site water testing with student groups and teachers. The River Watch data is reviewed both by the students for educational purposes and also internally by the SRRWD to identify potential areas for restoration and to support decisions for program delivery within the Roseau River watershed.
If you live anywhere within the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District and are interested in having your school or community group participate in River Watch please contact the SRRWD office at 204-326-1030 (Steinbach) or 204-425-7877 (Vita)