Our Waterwatch volunteers have been measuring water quality for more than 20 years to give us a better understanding of our waterways' long-term health. Become a volunteer or view water monitoring resources and data.
COVID-19 UPDATE:
Like many businesses, we're doing our bit to assist in limiting the spread of COVID-19. This involves changing the way we are working including enabling staff to work from home and implementing social distancing practices. This has impacted on all scheduled Waterwatch training sessions and workshops, including water quality testing.
As a result of this new way of working, we are unable to hold any sessions involving face-to-face activities or meetings until further notice.
Become a volunteer
Become a Waterwatch volunteer, and monitor water quality and assess habitats in your area.
Monitoring groups are provided with free, specialised training and receive ongoing support from their Waterwatch Coordinator to develop and implement their own monitoring program. Information collected by these groups is made available to Melbourne Water, the EPA and local councils to help identify what can be done at a local level to improve our rivers and creeks.
Access waterway data
Explore the health of your local waterway by viewing data collected by volunteers around the state — it's all available on the Waterwatch Victoria Data portal.
To learn what this data can tell us, view Waterwatch Victoria's data interpretation manual.
Resources for monitors
Data collection forms
Record your water quality results using the following data forms.
Equipment instructions and maintenance
Instructions on using your water quality monitoring equipment can be found in the Waterwatch handbook.
There are also some excellent videos on using, calibrating and maintaining your equipment created by our colleagues at the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority:
- Waterwatch 5: Sample collection and testing
- Waterwatch 6: Temperature
- Waterwatch 7: Turbidity
- Waterwatch 8: Testing pH level
- Waterwatch 9: Testing electroconductivity
- Waterwatch 10: Phosphate test
Contact us
A number of dynamic Waterwatch monitoring groups across Melbourne are seeking new members. Contact us to find out about any groups near you, and for more information on any of our activities:
- email [email protected]
- call 131 722