Massachusetts has the second worst water quality in the country. We are a group that works to reinvest communities in their waterways through education, both on and off campus, and with service events like stream cleanups. We are dedicated to cleaning up local waterways and getting students involved and invested in their water! Come to our meetings!! They are in Herter Hall room 111 on Tuesdays at 8 to 9pm.

What We Do...

From the famous mills of Lowell to the storied whaling industry in New Bedford, our waterways have always been part of Massachusetts' lifeblood. Today our rivers and streams, bays and shorelines are still vital as sources of drinking water, as wildlife habitat, and as places for swimming and boating.

But Massachusetts has some of the worst water quality in the nation. Out-of-control development has stripped away precious buffer zones that once filtered out pollutants before they reached our waterways. Storm drains empty untreated oil, pesticides and fertilizers into our rivers and into the Atlantic. Our waters receive more than one billion gallons of sewage every year.

Massachusetts Community Water Watch strives to restore our water quality by fostering a long-term commitment among college students and community members to the health of local waterways. Water Watch organizers and volunteers organize waterway cleanups, run monitoring programs, and head education and outreach efforts that offer local citizens a hands-on opportunity to engage themselves in water quality issues - while having an immediate impact on the health of their local waterways.

We have three major program areas that we use to address water quality problems.

RIVER CLEANUPS: Massachusetts Community Water Watch works to remove trash and debris from riverbanks while raising community awareness of local water quality issues through community waterway cleanups. Cleanups deliver immediate results to the waterway, but also provide a hands-on opportunity to engage volunteers in making a difference in their own community. Each year, Water Watch AmeriCorps members recruit thousands of community volunteers and college students at each site to help organize and attend cleanups across the state.

STREAM MONITORING: Massachusetts Community Water Watch is dedicated to serving as the eyes and ears of local waterways across the state. Water Watch AmeriCorps members at each site work with volunteers, community organizations, and local and state governments to provide much-needed research about the health of our state's waterways. We recruit volunteers to collect samples out in the field so that government programs can test for various types of pollution. We also work to map local waterways and identify sources of pollution.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: Massachusetts Community Water Watch educates and trains college students, children, and community members about the state of local water quality and the steps that people can take to make an impact in their community. Water Watch AmeriCorps members and volunteers organize campus and community-wide educational forums and conduct hands-on educational programs for K-12 students.

To learn more about what you can do to help check out this website!

www.waterwatchonline.com

Learn more about how to help Water Watch Campaign, come to our meetings Tuesdays @8 in Herter Hall room 111.

contact: sonfrog2@aol.com or abondi@student.umass.edu