Providing Data 

 for Characterization 



Supporting Planning and 

 Policy Development 



Supporting Enforcement 

 and Compliance 



Citizen monitoring programs can provide frequent and time-vari- 

 able sampling of water quality associated with storm events and 

 algal blooms. Volunteers have collected data accurately, describ- 

 ing a number of parameters including the number and size of fish 

 kills, precipitation levels, and the number of fish caught by recrea- 

 tional fishermen. The New Jersey Sea Grant citizen monitoring 

 program, composed of members of fishing clubs, angler associa- 

 tions, and charter boat associations, collects data on marine 

 recreational fishes. Volunteers can also provide ground-truthing for 

 remote sensing data. Because of the large geographic areas 

 covered by many citizen monitoring programs, volunteers can help 

 assess water bodies that are not being monitored by government 

 agencies, and collect needed samples or observations from remote 

 locations or private property. It is difficult for volunteers to collect 

 samples from boats because they may encounter problems locat- 

 ing sampling sites, personal safety cannot be assured, and bad 

 weather can interfere with sample collection. Citizens in the 

 Chesapeake Bay collect their data near shore; few differences in 

 water quality have been observed between samples taken near 

 shore and those taken from the center of tributaries to the bay. 



Volunteer monitoring programs can complement government ac- 

 tion; however, a clear statement of management issues and 

 specific management questions that define the information needed 

 for management action must be available to them. Citizen monitor- 

 ing data can enhance citizen involvement in planning and policy 

 development. Highly informed citizens can offer quality input in 

 these ways: 



• Critiquing local proposals for development. 



• Acting as "expert witnesses," using trend data and information 

 on past practices and conditions in a given area. 



• Focusing attention on emerging issues. 



• Forming constituencies for legislative initiatives or political actions. 



• Influencing local action or ordinances. 



Citizen volunteers can act as "watch dogs" to ensure full implemen- 

 tation and enforcement of environmental regulations. Volunteers 

 who collect samples often have a vested interest in the health and 

 well-being of the local environment and can help the regulatory 

 community in these ways: 



• Producing an inventory of, or "red flagging," illegal pipes or 

 discharges, and dumping sites. 



• Collecting observations of excessive erosion and failed sedi- 

 ment control structures. 



• Compiling data collected for compliance with National Pollutant 

 Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. 



• Alerting officials to spills and their impacts. 



F6 



