Citizen volunteers empower themselves by monitoring natural resources to become better stewards of the communities they live in. Volunteers are able to provide quality-assured data and assessments for incorporation with government programs filling existing data gaps in monitoring water bodies. This results in augmenting government monitoring programs providing a more comprehensive overview of the watershed and its related programs, and stimulates local interest which is needed for long term clean up efforts.
Volunteers are partners, as local stakeholders, in protecting watersheds.
EPA Region 2 promotes and supports volunteer monitoring by assisting development of watershed organizations, mobilizing skilled volunteers for more effective water protection, and by providing coordination and leadership among existing federal, state and citizen monitoring programs.