World Water Monitoring Day was established in 2003 by America's Clean Water Foundation as a global educational outreach program that aims to build public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by empowering citizens to carry out basic monitoring of their local water bodies.
A simple test kit enables everyone, children and adults, to sample local water bodies for a set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Results are then shared with participating communities around the globe through the WWMD website.
World Water Monitoring Day is celebrated on September 18. It was initially chosen to be a month later (October 18) to recognize the anniversary of the US Clean Water Act, which was enacted by the US Congress in 1972 to restore and protect the country’s water resources. In 2007, the date was changed to facilitate participation in parts of the world where temperatures reach freezing at that time.
The primary goal of World Water MonitoringDay isto educate and engage citizensin the protection ofthe world’s waterresources. Many people are unaware ofthe impact their behaviours have on the quality oftheir waterresources. Conducting simple monitoring teststeaches participants aboutsome ofthemost common indicators of water health and encouragesfurther participation inmore formal citizenmonitoring efforts.
