The Connecticut River Watch Program (CRWP) is an EPA award winning citizen water quality monitoring, protection and improvement program for the Connecticut River and tributaries, one of the first regional programs of its kind in CT. The program was initiated in 1992 by the CT River Coastal Conservation District as a hands-on monitoring program for the lower Connecticut River. In 1999, CRWP was expanded into a basin-wide regional support service, whose focus is to initiate, support and coordinate community-based river monitoring, assessment and improvement programs in quality and physical survey information into the hands of local communities, and support efforts to use that information to direct river and other watershed improvements.
The program provides a great opportunity for community members to participate in citizen science and take an active role in protecting their rivers and streams. Participants collect and analyze river samples, help identify pollution problems and sources, and advocate for clean water in their communities. Information collected by volunteers is used by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in water quality reports, by local officials to identify and address water quality threats and impairments, and in community efforts to protect and restore rivers. CRWP supports monitoring efforts in several watersheds, including the Coginchaug/Mattabesset, Salmon, and Tankerhoosen/Hockanum.
More information coming soon!