River Watch

Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists & Stewards

River Watch, a program of the Friends of the Minnesota Valley, works with high school science classes to collect water quality data across the Minnesota River Basin. The data is submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, allowing them to monitor the health of less studied waterways. Contact tom@friendsmnvalley.org for information on how to become a River Watch school.

Donations go to engaging more students living in the Minnesota River Basin, maintaining data collection equipment, and the development of programming initiatives.

Knowledge

Develop an understanding of the factors affecting water quality in general, and the Minnesota River Basin in particular

Practice

Collect water quality data at field testing sites to assist the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in monitoring the health of understudied waterways in MN River Basin

Investigation

Reflect on what the data can tell us about the overall health/quality of the waterway, identifying issues facing the water, as well as solutions to reduce pollutants

Stewardship/Community

Foster a sense of responsibility towards improving the health of the local water resources we all rely on for our wellbeing and survival

River Watch Is Driven by 4 Aims

What to Expect from the River Watch Program

Schools that partner with River Watch gain access to expert knowledge, state-of-the-art water data collection tools, and a chance to contribute to the ongoing effort to study and clean up Minnesota's most precious resource.

River Watch Consists Of

1 In-Class Lesson on the basics of water science
2 Sampling Events in the Fall (September & October)
2 Sampling Events in the Spring (April & May)

Check Out the River Watch Data

Visit the MN Pollution Control Agency's Surface Water Database
Select "Project ID" under Search By...
Enter "PRJ08066" under Project ID
Select a Sampling Site

Why Sponsor?

While River Watch is a free program to all schools across the Minnesota River Basin, all schools incur costs from their school district for bussing to and from the field sampling site. These costs can are a barrier for many Teams, stopping them from being able to participate fully in River Watch's year long program.

What Does Sponsorship Include?

By choosing to sponsor a River Watch Team, your donation will help the Team offset costs of bussing, ensuring they can participate in all four sampling events across the school year (September, October, April, and May).