The World Water Monitoring Day
World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is pleased to partner with the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) in 2008 in a joint effort to highlight the importance of water quality to marine wildlife. Slight shifts in key water quality indicators such as pH, temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen can have a direct impact on where marine organisms live (in this case coral reefs) and whether their populations are able to flourish. Citizens around the globe are encouraged to monitor their oceans in celebration of IYOR this year.
World Water Monitoring Day is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies.
An easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Results are shared with participating communities around the globe through the WWMD Web site.
October 18 was initially selected as World Water Monitoring Day in recognition of the anniversary of the U.S. Clean Water Act, which was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1972 to restore and protect the country's water resources. In 2007, the date was changed to September 18 to facilitate participation in parts of the world where temperatures reach freezing by October 18.
The coordinators of WWMD, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA), plan to expand participation to one million people in 100 countries by 2012.
For more information, please write to wwmd@wef.org or visit us at www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.org.
