The Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI) is a cross-cutting collaboration that is working to conserve and restore the streams that supply drinking water to 15 million people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. In direct support of this initiative, Stroud Water Research Center is facilitating efforts to improve the capacity of watershed groups to conduct scientific investigations associated with DRWI projects, as well as to build general knowledge on the ecology of their watersheds and the broader basin.
These resources were created by the Stroud Center to assist DRWI efforts specifically focused on stream monitoring using EnviroDIY Monitoring Stations. They may also be of interest to community scientists and watershed groups working in other locations.
Shortcuts to General Resources
Shortcuts to Meetings, Workshops, Conferences
EnviroDIY Field Visit Data
EnviroDIY Field Visit Data Sheets (Printable)
EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Service Requests
Use this form to report technical issues that require assistance from the Stroud Center team.
EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Help Resources
Manual and Appendices
The Stroud Center created a manual to help you build, program, and install an EnviroDIY Monitoring Station and appendices to help you manage your station. Please leave feedback on the individual articles so that we can continue to improve the documentation.
Quick Guides
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Management Roles and Responsibilities Quick Guide
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Maintenance Quick Guide
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Quality Control Quick Guide
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Data Patterns Quick Guide
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Troubleshooting Quick Guide
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Time Zone Guide
- Understanding Your EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Data
Support Supplies
Troubleshooting
- EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Troubleshooting Workshop, June 23, 2021
Video Tutorials
Visit the EnviroDIY Videos page for additional videos.
Salt Monitoring Resources
- Conductivity-Chloride Rating Curve Instructions (PDF)
- Conductivity-Chloride Rating Curve Sampling Sheet (PDF)
- Conductivity-Chloride Rating Curve Sampling Sheet (Excel file)
- Conductivity-Chloride Rating Curve Sampling Presentation (PDF)
- Instructions for Delaware River Basin Survey of Salt in Tap Water (PDF)
- Video recording (conductivity-chloride rating curve presentation begins at the 10:00 mark)
Data and Data Visualization Resources
- Monitor My Watershed
- Monitor My Watershed help resources
- Monitor My Watershed Instructional Video Playlist
- Curricula
- Getting Started with the Mayfly Data Logger (hardware details, software instructions, monitoring station manual)
Volunteer Management Guidance Materials
Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers hosted an informative webinar by Suzanna Windon, Ph.D., assistant professor of youth and adult leadership at Penn State University: “Volunteer Motivations, Management, Recruitment, and Retention.” The ISOTURE volunteer model that Dr. Windon discussed seems like an excellent model for DRWI watershed groups to consider, in general and in relation to working with EnviroDIY monitoring stations.
- Webinar recording
- Boyce, V.M. A Systematic Approach to Leadership. 1971. Department of Agriculture Extension Service, Washington, D.C.
- Denny, M. ISOTURE: A Model for Effective Volunteer Management. 2019. Mississippi State University Extension, Mississippi State, Mississippi.
- Dodd, C., and C. Bolman. Volunteer Administration in the 21st Century: ISOTURE: A Model for Volunteer Management. 2010. Cooperative Extension Program, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas.
WikiWatershed Toolkit
The WikiWatershed Toolkit is a suite of digital resources designed to help citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water. The toolkit includes:
- Model My Watershed®, a web app that lets you analyze geospatial data, model storms, and compare conservation or development scenarios in a watershed.
- Monitor My Watershed®, a data portal for visualization of environmental sensor and macroinvertebrate monitoring data.
- A Runoff Simulation that shows how land use and soil together determine whether rainfall infiltrates into the soil, runs off into streams, or is evaporated and transpired by plants.
- EnviroDIY™, a community of do-it-yourself enthusiasts sharing open-source ideas for environmental science and monitoring.
- Leaf Pack Network®, an international network of teachers, students, and citizen monitors investigating their local stream ecosystems.
- The Water Quality mobile app for recording water-monitoring data and enhancing learning activities for students and citizen scientists.
Project Updates
Project Updates/Summaries
Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences
Monthly EnviroDIY-DRWI User Group Meetings
Link to the playlist of all monthly meeting video recordings
September 21, 2023: The Science of Salt Pollution
Dr. John Jackson from Stroud Water Research Center talks about the science of salt pollution and recent advances
August 17, 2023: Urban Stream Syndrome in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Dr. Megan Fork from West Chester University talks about the urban stream syndrome in southeastern Pennsylvania.
July 20, 2023: Guidance From the Local Policy and Practice Workgroup
The local policy and practice workgroup offers guidance on understanding EnviroDIY data in the context of local government decisionmaking, navigating the complexities of local government, and how to be effective in working with government officials and EACs to support watershed health and good management
June 15, 2023: Depth Perception: Using Continuous Water Depth Data to Inform Recreation, Monitoring, and Loading
This month’s presentation was on usage of continuous water depth data to inform recreation, monitoring, and loading, by Christa Reeves with Musconetcong Watershed Association. As usual, there was an update from the local policy/practice workgroup, as well as our normal meeting introduction and updates from the Stroud Center.
May 18, 2023: Water Temperature, Part 2 – Continuous Data and Synoptic Monitoring
A follow up to last month’s science of water temperature presentation by John Jackson, David Bressler focused on continuous data and synoptic (aka snapshot) monitoring. We also discussed interpretation of water temperature data and sharing this type of information at the community level. There was an update from the newly formed local policy/practice workgroup, as well as our normal meeting introduction and updates from the Stroud Center.
April 20, 2023: Water Temperature, Part 1 – Thermal Characteristics of Streams
This month’s presentation was by Dr. John Jackson of Stroud Water Research Center. This will be the first of two water temperature presentations this spring. John talked about the science of water temperature/ thermal pollution and how it influences stream ecosystems, aquatic life, water chemistry, etc. There was also an update from the newly formed local policy/practice workgroup, as well as our normal meeting introduction and updates from the Stroud Center.
March 16, 2023: Wild and Scenic River Management
This month’s presentation was by Alan Hunt, director of policy and grants at the Musconetcong Watershed Association. Alan also serves as the river administrator of the Musconetcong River Management Council. He talked about the council and about watershed councils in general — how they can function, why they’re formed, successes/challenges, etc. There were also updates from the newly formed local policy/practice workgroup and the Stroud Center.
February 16, 2023: Salt Pollution in Valley Creek
Pete Goodman from Valley Forge Trout Unlimited provides an update on his recent work on road salt questions and issues in the Valley Creek watershed. He talks about the data and his communications with local Environmental Action Committees and others. There is also an update from the newly formed local policy/practice workgroup.
January 19, 2023: EnviroDIY in the DRB Feedback on Focus Group and Draft Plan
This month we discussed two topics: facilitating an independent focus group to collaboratively build capacity to address environmental issues at the local policy/practice level, and reviewing a draft plan for 2023 monthly EnviroDIY in the DRB meetings.
December 15, 2022: EnviroDIY in the DRB and Associated Monitoring, 2022 Year in Review
This presentation is an end-of-year review of EnviroDIY and monitoring in the Delaware River Basin and will include summaries of tech upgrades, station deployments, site visits and QC, data communication products, sampling events, and 2022 monthly meeting topics. We also present a list of key things to remember with EnviroDIY station management and watershed monitoring.
November 17, 2022: Darby Creek Headwaters Community Science Snapshot
Lauren McGrath and Anna Willig from Willistown Conservation Trust and Aurora Dizel from Darby Creek Valley Association describe a recent pilot salt blitz in support of their Darby Creek headwaters monitoring project to better identify salt-contaminated areas and potential sources of contamination.
October 20, 2022: Winter Salt Data and Its Importance in Understanding Salt Pollution
We discuss winter salt data (conductivity, chloride, and cations Na, K, Mg, and Na) and their importance in understanding salt pollution. Also, general updates on EnviroDIY and associated monitoring and feedback on the meeting format and content.
September 15, 2022: Watershed Salt Snapshot Protocol
David Bressler describes a process for doing salt “snapshots” to develop a detailed picture of salt contamination across a watershed.
August 18, 2022: Tracking Station Function With Monitor My Watershed, Revisiting the Pilot Salt in Tap Water Survey, and More
Stroud Water Research Center staff review features of Monitor My Watershed that can help with tracking station function, revisit the pilot Salt in Tap Water Survey results and participation, and review statistics on EnviroDIY station visits and summaries of the continuous data from stations throughout the Delaware River basin.
July 21, 2022: Monitoring the Pocono Mountain Special Protection Waters
Geoff Rogalsky, Tobyhanna Creek/Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Association, and Alex Jackson, Brodhead Watershed Association
June 16, 2022: Chloride Blitz
Ryan Neuman, Tookany-Tacony/Frankford Watershed Partnership
May 19, 2022: Communicating Temperature Monitoring on the Musconetcong River
Christa Reeves, Musconetcong Watershed Association
April 21, 2022: Winter Storm Chloride/Conductivity Rating Curves; A Multi-Factor Index to Describe Water Quality Using Continuous Data in the Delaware River Basin
Diana Oviedo Vargas, Stroud Water Research Center
March 17, 2022: Results of Recent Surveys Focused on CSci and Monitoring Terminology, Salt in Tap Water, and Winter Storm Salt Levels; Technology Updates
David Bressler and Shannon Hicks, Stroud Water Research Center
February 17, 2022: A Stream Runs Through it: Using Basic Stream Monitoring Tools to Query Local Trends and Concerns
Carol Armstrong, Pennyslvania Master Watershed Steward, Chester/Delaware counties.
January 20, 2022: Monitor My Watershed Updates and Anticipated Upgrades in 2022
Shannon Hicks, Stroud Water Research Center
December 16, 2021: EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Winter Maintenance
David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center
November 21, 2021: Developing and Using a Conductivity-Chloride Rating Curve
David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center
October 21, 2021: No Presentation
August 19, 2021: EnviroDIY Brings Together Non-Profits, Communities, and Agencies to Monitor Aquatic Resources
Jake Lemon and Matt Barney, Trout Unlimited
July 15, 2021: Evapotranspiration Performance of Vegetated Stormwater Control Measures
Michael Burns, Villanova University
June 17, 2021: Where Have We Come From and Where Are We Going?
Dave Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center
May 20, 2021: Water Temperature – Part 1 – Thermal Characteristics of Streams
John Jackson, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center
April 15, 2021: Investigating Stream Response to Road De-Icing Agents
Patty Haug, West Chester University graduate student and Master Watershed Steward
March 18, 2021: Turbidity, Part II: What is it? Why do we measure it? How is it used to assess stream health?
Sara Damiano, Stroud Water Research Center
February 18, 2021: Turbidity, Part I: What is it? What does it mean for stream health?
Scott Ensign, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center
January 21, 2021: Using Continuous Monitoring Data to Develop an Upper Paulins Kill Characterization Report for Guiding Watershed Management and Decision-Making,
Kristine Rogers, Wallkill River Watershed Management Group, and Juniper Leifer, Lopatcong Creek Initiative
December 17, 2020: Monitoring and Litigation in a Watershed with Quarry Dewatering, Sinkholes, and Subterranean Stream Flow
Francis Collins, Primrose Creek Watershed Association
- Agenda | Introduction and Updates | See related story on Manage My Watershed | Focus Topic: Ecological Significance of Specific Conductance in Streams – Part 2, John Jackson, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center | Video
November 19, 2020: Watershed Monitored With SL137 (UNT Cobbs Creek): How Did We Get Where We Are Today?
Derron LaBrake, Darby Creek Valley Association
- Agenda | Introduction and Updates | Presentation PDF | Focus Topic: Ecological Significance of Specific Conductance in Streams – Part 1, John Jackson, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center | Video
October 15, 2020: Watershed Stories: Temperature Monitoring and Station Maintenance for Citizen Science
Robert Sarnoski, Pennsylvania Master Naturalist
- Agenda | Introduction and Updates | Presentation PDF | Focus Topic: Ecological Significance of Water Temperature, John Jackson, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center | Video
September 17, 2020: Pickering Creek Sediment Inputs and Outputs
Mike Bullard, Green Valleys Watershed Association
- Agenda | Introduction and Updates | Presentation PDF | Focus Topic: Pressure Transducer/Depth, Shannon Hicks and Rachel Johnson, Stroud Water Research Center | Video
August 20, 2020: How I Have Used EnviroDIY
Christa Reeves, Musconetcong Watershed Association
- Agenda | Introduction and Updates | Presentation PDF | Focus Topic: Battery/Power Issues, Rachel Johnson, Stroud Water Research Center | Video
User Support Workshops and Trainings
October 5-6, 2021: 2021 Watershed Specialist Meeting
- Building an EnviroDIY Monitoring Station, David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center: Presentation PDF | Video
- Managing an EnviroDIY Monitoring Station and Using Monitor My Watershed, David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center: Presentation PDF | Video
June 23, 2021: EnviroDIY Mayfly Monitoring Station Troubleshooting Virtual Workshop
- Video recording
- Foundations of EnviroDIY Mayfly Monitoring Station Troubleshooting
- EnviroDIY Mayfly Monitoring Station Troubleshooting Details
October 14, 2020: Master Naturalist Workshop at Green Valleys Watershed Association
- Ecological patterns seen in data from online in-stream sensors, Carol Armstrong
May 17, 2020: Master Watershed Steward EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Support Workshop
- Video recording
- Main presentation
- Specific conductivity in streams and rivers of the Delaware River Basin, Diana Oviedo Vargas, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center
- Spatial and temporal patterns of water temperature in streams and rivers of the Delaware River Basin, Marc Peipoch, Ph.D., Stroud Water Research Center
February 29, 2020: Monitor My Watershed Teach-the-Teacher Workshop at The Nature Place, Berks Nature
October 18, 2019: EnviroDIY Monitoring Station User Group Gathering at Brodhead Creek Heritage Center
- Video recordings: Part I and Part II
- Updates on monitoring station network, David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center
- Stream discharge rating curves, Dave Yake, Watershed Hydrological Analysis Team
- Webinar recording: Using Monitor My Watershed for EnviroDIY Monitoring Station data
August 10, 2019: EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Management Workshop at Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge
- Maintenance and quality control presentation. Facilitators: David Bressler, Paul Wilson, Carol Armstrong, Christa Reeves, Levi Morris, Ben Laubach
July 20, 2019: Master Watershed Steward EnviroDIY Monitoring Station Training at Berks County Agricultural Center
- Maintenance and quality control presentation
- EnviroDIY Field Visit Data sheet (completed for UT to Plum Run at the time of training
- Maps of monitoring station locations (note: these are only the stations that were candidate stations for Master Watershed Steward support. See Monitor My Watershed for locations of all monitoring station sites.)
May 24, 2019: EnviroDIY Monitoring Station User Group Gathering at Great Marsh Institute
- Video recording
- Monitoring station user group gathering updates, David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center
- Quantifying sediment sources in the Pickering Creek, Mike Bullard, Green Valleys Watershed Association
- Primrose Creek: a little creek with big issues, Francis Collins, Primrose Creek Watershed Association
- Connecting students from The Hill School to the Schuylkill River, Sarah Crothers, Schuylkill River Greenways
- Addressing upstream impacts on streams in First State National Historical Park, Kim Hachadoorian, The Nature Conservancy in Delaware
- Ridley Creek monitoring stations at Ashbridge Preserve, Lauren McGrath, Willistown Conservation Trust
- Supporting the Mayfly water sensor loggers at Great Marsh, Jim Moore, Great Marsh Institute
- Gaining an understanding of the water quality on two reaches of the Pickering Creek, George Seeds, PSU Master Watershed Steward
- Engaging undergraduate and graduate students: building constituencies to protect clean water, Paul Wilson, East Stroudsburg University
- Watershed sediment model, Dave Yake, Watershed Hydrological Analysis Team
Conference Presentations
2021 Watershed Congress, September 23
National Monitoring Conference, April 2021
- Continuous Monitoring Stations in the Delaware River Basin for Understanding Individual Sites and Regional Patterns: PDF | Video
Northwest New Jersey Rivers Conference, November 12-13, 2020
- Volunteer Monitoring: How to Survey Streams and Build Volunteer Monitoring Capacity; Juniper Leifer (Lopatcong Creek Initiative) and Erin Stretz (The Watershed Institute). Watch video
Delaware Watershed Congress, September 21-25, 2020
- Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Stream Conductivity and Temperature in the Delaware Basin; Diana Oviedo Vargas, Ph.D., Marc Peipoch, Ph.D., and David Bressler.
- Patterns and Processes of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in the Delaware River Basin; Raven Bier, Ph.D., and Jinjun Kan, Ph.D. Watch video
- Updates and Improvements to the Online Water Quality Modeling Application, Model My Watershed; David Arscott, Ph.D. Watch video
Delaware Watershed Research Conference, November 19, 2019, at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Part 1: Citizen science and continuous sensors – spatial and temporal patterns of specific conductivity and water temperature in streams and rivers of the Delaware River Basin, David Bressler
- Part 2: Spatio-temporal patterns of specific conductivity in streams and rivers of the Delaware River Basin, Diana Oviedo Vargas, Ph.D.
- Part 3: Spatio-temporal patterns of water temperature in streams and rivers of the Delaware River Basin, Marc Peipoch, Ph.D.
Watershed Ecology Workshops
Darby Creek Watershed 101 Online Workshops
- April 11, 2020: Introduction to Water Quality Data
- April 16, 2020: Lunch With Bugs
- April 23, 2020: Introduction to Model My Watershed
- April 30, 2020: Winter/Summer Salt Watch
- May 20, 2020: Invasive Species and the Northern Snakehead
- May 27, 2020: Birds of the Darby Creek Watershed
- June 22, 2020: The Fish of Darby Creek
- July 22, 2020: Microplastics in Riverine Systems
- July 30, 2020: Edible Plants
Watershed 101
May 18-19, and 31, 2017 at Stroud Water Research Center
- WS101 Agenda May 18-19, 31, 2017
- WS101 Day 1 Introduction
- WS101 Day 1 Scope and Scale
- WS101 Day 1 Physical
- WS101 Day 1 Chemistry
- WS101 Day 2 Microbiology
- WS101 Day 2 Algae
- WS101 Day 2 Macroinvertebrates
- WS101 Day 2 Fish
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring and Study Design
- WS101 Day 3 Scope and Scale
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring Physical
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring Chemistry
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring Microbiology
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring Algae
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring Macroinvertebrates
- WS101 Day 3 Monitoring Fish
Watershed 102: Aquatic Ecology as It Relates to Watershed Restoration and Protection
September 24-25, 2019, at Stroud Water Research Center
- Introduction and Overview, David Bressler
- Watershed Restoration: Scope and Scale, Matt Ehrhart
- Watershed Hydrology and Geomorphology, Melinda Daniels, Ph.D.
- Water Chemistry: Nitrogen and Phosphorus, Marc Peipoch, Ph.D.
- Chemical Contaminants, Diana Oviedo Vargas, Ph.D.
- Microorganisms in Fresh Waters, Jinjun Kan, Ph.D.
- An Introduction to Biological Stream Condition and Restoration, John Jackson, Ph.D.
Watershed 201, Measuring Stream Discharge and Suspended Sediment
June 7, 2019, at Willistown Conservation Trust
- Recorded presentations
- PDFs of PowerPoint presentations
- Measuring Discharge, Collecting TSS Samples, Measuring TSS, and Setting Up a Low-Cost TSS Lab, David Bressler, Stroud Water Research Center
- TSS Test: A Citizen Scientist Adaptation, Watershed Hydrological Analysis Team
