Get involved - schools
What to do if you want to become a Waterwatch school
Before you begin Waterwatch activities you should contact your local Catchment Management Authority or Waterwatch coordinator. See the contacts page for details. In regions where there is a Waterwatch coordinator, your coordinator will help you to start your Waterwatch activities.
Your coordinator will:
- help you to select a suitable site for your Waterwatch activities
- help you prepare a Waterwatch Plan*
- register your group on the NSW Waterwatch database and provide you with your school's login details
- train you in water quality testing methods and water bug survey techniques.
- training on site will help you and your group to understand the theory behind water bug surveys and water quality monitoring activities and be able to confidently and independently carry out water
- quality monitoring at your site in the future. After the water quality training at the site, your group will return to school to learn how to upload the data to the database.
Once the data is uploaded the coordinator will verify the data, which will contribute to natural resource planning and reporting around the state. Once each step is completed you will then be ready to undertake your Waterwatch activities on your own.
Coordinators are well qualified and knowledgeable and will provide you with a learning experience that is educational, logical and best of all FUN!
*Note: All groups are required to complete a Waterwatch Plan which identifies the schools commitment and level of involvement. Schools will preferably upload data twice per school term although this arrangement is flexible dependant on circumstances. The Waterwatch plan is available in section 2 of the Guides.
Who can be involved?
Primary schools can become involved in the Junior Waterwatch program by carrying out basic water quality testing. The tests that primary school students can carry out using the Waterwatch kits of equipment include temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and turbidity.
High schools and tertiary institutions can become involved at the basic Waterwatch program level (the program for primary schools described above), or become a Senior Waterwatch group and learn the methods involved in collecting the four basic parameters (as for primary schools) plus two additional tests - available phosphate and dissolved oxygen.
Achieving curriculum objectives
The approach of Waterwatch involves students in local environmental projects, while meeting many and varied curriculum outcomes.
It also;
- promotes student led actions and custodianship of the environment,
- increases students knowledge and understanding of their local environment- water, soils, vegetation, land and sustainable use of natural resources,
- builds skills in; scientific methodology, data collection, teamwork, communication, problem solving and logical thinking,
- trains students in methods of water quality data collection and habitat assessment,
- allows students to collect data that contributes to the national data pool of information about water resources.
Page last updated: 26 February 2011
