Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff offer workshops to train volunteers on how to properly collect water samples in the field. The effort is part of the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program, within the larger Missouri Stream Team Program. The Missouri Stream Team Program is a partnership between the DNR, Department of Conservation, Conservation Federation of Missouri, and the citizens of Missouri.
Goals of the Stream Team Water Quality Monitoring program include:
- Informing and educating citizens about the conditions of streams;
- Establishing a monitoring network;
- Generating water quality data;
- Enabling citizens; and
- Halting degradation of Missouri streams.
Volunteers are expected to share the knowledge they gain with their community, periodically monitoring a stream and collecting data in a timely manner. Volunteer data will be used to inform and educate Missouri citizens, establish baseline data on rarely sampled streams, locate emerging water quality problems, and identify long term trends in stream conditions. Highly trained volunteers will collect data that may supplement agency-collected data.
