Problem overview:

     Awareness and visions: The Streamwatch programme has initiated the idea of inviting school children to participate in monitoring water quality of rivers and streams in New South Wales. As a result of this programme, the public has become highly aware and more concerned of their environment.

     Integrating stakeholders: The Streamwatch programme has been a success due to the cooperation and coordination from various stakeholders involved; schools, local communities, social clubs, NGOs, etc.

     Training and educational initiatives: School children and local communities that volunteered in this programme will be trained to monitor and gather water samples for the use of water quality assessment in a proper scientific manner.

     Meeting information requirements: With the help of the volunteers, information on water quality of rivers and streams has become available at a very cheap cost.

Background:

     Improvement in fresh water quality, revitalization of rivers and streams by local communities

     Fresh water quality is a major problem throughout the world. Rivers and streams are polluted by agricultural contaminants, silt, industrial and urban wastes, and sewage. The cost of simply monitoring water quality is staggering. Doing something to improve the condition of rivers and streams is beyond the financial and logistic abilities of most governments in the Region.

     The Streamwatch programme, initiated by the Sydney Water Corporation, is one of the most innovative and successful water quality projects in the world

      In 1990, Sydney privatized its water supply, changing the Sydney Water Board to the Sydney Water Corporation. They set up a public relations project as a means of reducing the rapidly declining conditions of the watersheds, streams and rivers. They hired a dynamic secondary school science teacher, Renato Ramsay, who had been experimenting with the concept of community participation in measuring and restoring water quality in streams.

      Mr. Ramsay organized a special educational team to co-ordinate a program that would put Streamwatch on the New South Wales primary and secondary school curricula. The students measured water quality in streams and rivers near their schools using a field handbook and water testing kits developed for the project. Testing, analysis and reporting required strict data quality procedures. Innovative testing procedures included a "Bug Detective Kit" that provided a biological index of water quality based on the types of invertebrates found in the stream.

      At first professional water quality personnel at the Sydney Water Board were horrified. How could school students be expected to come up with valid scientific information? Mr. Ramsay asked them to participate by instructing schools on water quality testing procedures and showing the students, in the field, their special secrets.

      "The transformation was remarkable," said Mr. Ramsay, "Before we were spending a lot of money gathering a small amount data from a limited number of stations that nobody wanted or used. Afterwards, we were spending a little money gathering a huge amount from around the whole of New South Wales that everyone was interested in."

      Recluse water quality experts became community heroes. Streams and rivers became the focus of the students and their parents, and by extension, the business community. Social organizations, like the Lions Club and Rotary International helped out by buying water testing kits and supplies for schools. Water sporting clubs, like fishing and kayak clubs, joined in with projects to test and clean up rivers. When students discovered water pollution (and they did) they not only notified the Sydney Water Corporation, they confronted the offenders and demanded that they stop harming their river. Community pressure quickly cut through the complex and expensive legal process. While polluters might fight a lengthy legal battle against the authorities, they are not often willing to offend their own families or friends.

      Every Australian State has followed the Streamwatch example and established volunteer partnerships with community groups. These finally joined together as a national Waterwatch Programme that co-ordinates all the groups into a network extending from local communities, private corporations and NGOs through state governments to the national and international scene. In 1995, more than 20,000 Australians sampled streams, rivers and lakes around the Nation. In one week they produced a co-ordinated image of the state of the nation’s fresh water resources. Data collected by the more than 2000 volunteer groups are integrated on Internet.

      Many streams and rivers throughout Australia have been cleaned up by community groups following poor water quality measurements.

Find out more about these activities by visiting the following web sites:
Sydney Water Corporation Streamwatch project
http://www.streamwatch.org.au
The Australian National Waterwatch programme
http://www.waterwatch.org.au/welcome.htm
The State of Victoria’s excellent Volunteer monitoring programme
http://www.vic.waterwatch.aus.net
The National River Health Programme of Australia
http://www.erin.gov.au/portfolio/epg/nrhp/index.html#contents