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Waterwatchers collect
information on stream and wetland habitats;
biological parameters such as
macro-invertebrates, algae and E.coli;
chemical and physical parameters including
temperature, pH, turbidity, nutrients
(nitrogen and phosphorus), dissolved oxygen,
conductivity and flow rate. Waterwatch Tasmania have
developed several manuals to assist
volunteers in gathering this information.
Data
Confidence Guidelines
Equipment Guide
Guidelines for Working
with Schools
Waterwatch Educational Resources
Waterwatch Tasmania Test Procedures
Waterwatch Tasmania Bacteriological Monitoring
Guide
Waterwatch Tasmania Reference Manual |
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documents below.
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As awareness of land degradation and its
impact on water has grown, there has been a
corresponding growth in community
participation in water monitoring and local
action to protect rivers, lakes and
wetlands.
Waterwatch Australia is a national community
water quality monitoring program dedicated
to healthy waterways.
The Waterwatch Tasmania Data Confidence
Guidelines are designed to help the
Waterwatch Tasmania network collect and
report data with a known level of
confidence.
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Benefits of planning for data
confidence
Confidence in the data is essential where
the goal of community water quality
monitoring is to provide data for reporting,
decision making or action. It is very
difficult to interpret and use data of
unknown quality and reliability. For
example, the results of a suspected
pollution source may be the result of dirty
sampling equipment or poor technique.
Planning for data confidence:
A well thought-out data confidence plan
sets the foundations for a highly successful
Waterwatch program in the future.
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Key elements of data confidence
- Designing a monitoring plan. A good monitoring plan ensures that the
right information gets collected, is
credible and can be used to answer the
questions the group is asking.
- Training to develop
competencies, knowledge and attitudes
that individuals require in order to
successfully sample and measure water
quality parameters.
- Regular maintenance of equipment
and calibration. Accurate
results depend on well maintained
calibrated sampling equipment.
- Measuring data quality and
reliability. To be useful, data
should be complete, representative of
conditions in the waterways and
comparable to other data. The group
should determine the allowable error
range that can be tolerated in your
results and still satisfy your
monitoring goals. The reliability of
your data is measured by using quality
control checks.
- Data validation and management to ensure accurate recording of the data
in the Waterwatch database. The data
that is entered in the Waterwatch
database should meet minimum standards
of quality and reliability that are
appropriate to the goals of the
Waterwatch group and needs of data
users.
- Keeping accurate records to allow data users to verify
information.
For more information, download the Waterwatch
Tasmania
Data Confidence Guidelines
(PDF file, 604 KB,
last updated August 2002)
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The Waterwatch Tasmania Equipment Guide
contains a selection of field water testing
equipment that is appropriate for most
community groups for most purposes. The
equipment listed will test the following
parameters: phosphate, nitrate, dissolved
oxygen, conductivity, temperature, pH,
turbidity, macro-invertebrates, algae,
faecal coliform bacteria, E.coli and
discharge.
The equipment listed is by no
means exhaustive and new equipment is
continually coming on to the market.
Your equipment decisions will depend on a
host of factors such as:
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Your purpose for monitoring.
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Who will use the data and how.
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The best things (parameters) to test.
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The quality of the data required.
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The skills of your group and the
complexity of the testing procedures.
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Available funding - there are several
equipment options for any given water
quality parameter.
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The expected concentration range of
the parameter to be measured. Equipment
should match the expected levels; your
program will not succeed if results are
continually 'not detected.
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Safety issues - as some tests use
potentially hazardous chemicals such as
acids.
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Robustness of the equipment and care
required to maintain it eg. pH meters
are not as robust and therefore less
reliable than pH test paper.
Make a list of all the equipment that
fulfil the criteria above. Testing of water
samples is usually carried out on the river
bank with field equipment, but many groups
also use a local school laboratory for some
tests such as bacteria and total phosphorus,
particularly if the weather is unfavourable.
Common lab equipment includes glassware,
incubators, hot plates, autoclaves, all of
which are needed for membrane filtration of
faecal coliform bacteria. Sharing equipment
is one of the benefits of community groups
linking with schools in developing a
Waterwatch program.
 Field testing equipment can be easily
purchased from suppliers listed. Costs range
from a few dollars for latex gloves to more
than $1800 for a colorimeter.
If your group is aiming to produce data
of known quality, then you may choose to
take part in the Waterwatch data confidence
program. In this program, calibration
solutions and mystery samples are made
available to be tested by your group when
out sampling in the field or in quality
control workshops. The results will tell you
just how reliable your data is, and identify
any problems with method, equipment
training, etc. When you've purchased equipment, spend a
day setting it up and running the tests on a
few samples. This will help you identify and
work out problems. A dry run will also help
you identify additional equipment needs.
Waterwatch Tasmania Equipment
Guide - Part 1
(PDF file, 434 KB, last
updated May 2003)
Equipment Guide - Part 2
(PDF file, 389 KB,
last updated July 1999)
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Waterwatch issues guidelines for
Waterwatch Co-ordinators working with
schools and students in Tasmania. They
describe a working relationship from a
legal and insurance perspective and are
based on information provided in the
Outdoor Education Management Handbook,
Department of Education and validated by
the Solicitor-General.
Guidelines
for Waterwatch Co-ordinators Working with
Schools
(PDF file, 55 KB, last updated
June 2001)
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Diving into the Derwent
The environment around us is an educational adventure waiting for
explorers. Often we are drawn out into the world beyond, before we have
explored and come to know our own place.
This Teacher Support Package, entitled Diving into the Derwent,
contains 5 units of work. They are:
- Waterwatch
- Water and Us
- Waterways - life support systems
- Going with the flow - exploring the catchment through the
arts
- World Wide Water - linking with the world via the internet and
exploring what other communities are doing to help look after their
water.
These units of work are centred around the Derwent River but are
applicable to any catchment in Tasmania. They are intended to act as a
guide to teachers, to take you and your class on a journey down one or
more of the many possible learning tributaries that the Derwent River
and its catchment offer.
The five units of work explore water and catchment studies using
different emphases, ranging from personal to global. They are all based
around the action research model encouraging inquiry and hands-on
learning. They involve classroom and field work, creative expression to
analytical thinking, practical skills from water quality testing to
lobbying the local government. Although they are autonomous units, they
are many sides of the same subject. They can be chopped and changed,
intertwined, used in any way you see fit. All we ask is that you have a
go and see what a wonderful educational resource your catchment
is.
Most units have a key linked planning question to initiate the
inquiry. Suggested questions and activities are included but the
intention is that students will develop their own questions for inquiry
from exploring their local watery environments
Diving into the
Derwent
(PDF file, 498 KB, last updated June 2003)
Unit 1 - Waterwatch
(PDF file, 311 KB, last updated June 2003)
Unit 2 - Water and Us
(PDF file, 191 KB, last updated June 2003)
Unit 3 - Waterways
(PDF file, 193 KB, last updated June 2003)
Unit 4 - Going
with the Flow
(PDF File, 250 KB, last updated June 2003)
Unit 5 - World
Wide Water
(PDF file, 45 KB, last updated June 2003)
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Waterwatch Tasmania test
procedures
The Waterwatch Tasmania Test Procedures are individually downloadable
documents designed for use with particular test kits commonly used by
Waterwatch groups carrying out physical and chemical tests in the field.
Each Test Procedure includes notes on equipment, safety, testing method
and maintenance to achieve accuracy and reliability. Also included is a
water quality results sheet and guide to interpreting the data.
Conductivity Test
Procedure
(PDF file, 26 KB, last updated April 2003)
Dissolved
Oxygen Test Procedure
(PDF file, 30 KB, last updated April 2003)
Nitrate Test Procedure
(PDF file, 20 KB, last updated April 2003)
Orthophosphate
Test Procedure
(PDF file, 21 KB, last updated April 2003)
pH Test Procedure
(PDF file, 25 KB, last updated April 2003)
Temperature Test
Procedure
(PDF file, 20 KB, last updated April 2003)
Turbidity Test
Procedure
(PDF file, 21 KB, last updated April 2003)
Water
Quality Results Sheet
(PDF file, 29 KB, last updated April 2003)
Interpreting
the Data
(PDF file, 26 KB, last updated April 2003)
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Waterwatch Tasmania bacteriological
monitoring guide
Levels of potentially harmful bacteria in streams, swimming areas, wells and piped drinking water are becoming an increasing concern to the community. Because of obvious health risks, testing for bacteria can yield valuable information.
Disease causing viruses, bacteria and protozoans can enter a water body through faecal contamination. Human illness can result from drinking or swimming in water that contains faecal contamination, or from eating shellfish harvested from such waters.
The Coliscan Easygel method offers several advantages over the traditional standard methods for bacteria testing. It is simple to use, inexpensive, and a quantitative way to identify and count E. coli and general coliform bacteria from water samples.
Community groups that are interested in raising awareness or screening for bacteria counts in waterways used for recreation will find the Coliscan method ideal as a "first alert" tool.
This guide contains the procedures for sampling, plating, counting and disposal of plates, and guidelines for quality control checks and interpreting the results.
Waterwatch Tasmania Bacteriological Monitoring Guide
(PDF file, 152 KB, last updated June 2003)
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Waterwatch Tasmania reference
manual
This publication is designed as a comprehensive manual for Tasmanian Waterwatch coordinators and the community involved in working towards healthy waterways. It is suitable for groups in the community such as schools, conservation groups, service organisations, industry, small businesses and local government who are concerned with education, water quality monitoring and action for a healthier environment.
Monitoring water quality is important for community education, environmental protection, managing waterways and controlling pollution. Monitoring consists of making measurements that are analysed and reported for the purpose of providing information and knowledge about a waterway. Identifying a clear purpose for monitoring is the first step for an effective monitoring program and should be based on an analysis of issues affecting the catchment and/or water way. The quality and reliability of data must be reported to data users so that information can be used with confidence for comparison across catchments and through time.
The Waterwatch Tasmania Reference Manual contains all the information in eight parts that is required to develop an active, educated, articulate and effective community network for healthy waterways.
Title, Preface,
Acknowledge, Contents
(PDF file, 52 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 1 - Program Organising Guide
(PDF file, 88 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 2 - Getting to Know Your Waterway and Catchment
(PDF file, 732 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 3 - Developing a Monitoring Plan
(PDF file, 221 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 4 - Water Quality Testing
(PDF file, 554 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 5 - Monitoring Algae
(PDF file, 343 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 6 - Macro-invertebrate
(Waterbug) Monitoring
(PDF file, 2033 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 7 - Data Confidence Guidelines
(PDF file, 367 KB, last updated June 2003)
Part 8 - Moving From Data to Action
(PDF file, 171 KB, last updated June 2003)
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