WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION (ALEXANDRIA, VA) . . .
will join with the International Water Association (IWA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other partnering organizations to kick-off World Water Monitoring Day 2007 on Tuesday, September 18 at Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria, Va. Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for U.S. EPA’s Office of Water, is expected to lead a diverse group of participants in hands-on testing of the Potomac River.

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Held annually between September 18 and October 18, the program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies. Since its inception in 2002, more than 80,000 people have participated in 50 countries.
Following brief opening remarks and a demonstration and safety review, attendees will break into small groups to conduct hands-on testing of the river. 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 then put into an international database and summarized on the program's Web site.

In addition to WEF, IWA, EPA and USGS, participating organizations include Perkin Elmer Instruments, Smithfield Foods, CH2M Hill, ITT Corporation, the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Jewish National Fund, LaMotte Company, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin and the National Environmental Education Foundation.