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Volunteer Creek Monitoring Program

Volunteers are active in collecting baseline data on creeks and watersheds. The Bioassessment and GPS Creek surveys produce data that is useful to a variety of groups-from resource managers to community organizations. Join us in monitoring and surveying your local creek!

The Contra Costa Watershed Forum has joined forces with the Contra Costa Clean Water Program monitor and assess watersheds and creek conditions. There are three components to the CCWF Creek Monitoring Program: 1) Bioassessment Surveys, 2) GPS Creek Surveys and 3) Assistance and Resource Center.

Monitoring Programs

The information gathered by volunteers is used for a variety of purposes:

  • to assess the current conditions of Contra Costa County streams
  • to compare stream health to state water quality standards
  • to calculate water quality and biological integrity indices
  • to serve as a baseline for comparison in future studies

Upcoming Events & Trainings

Bioassessment

Using aquatic insects as indicators of water quality, volunteers learn more about the health of their neighborhood creeks and identify potential problem areas. While water samples yield a detailed identification of the water at the time of sampling, the density and diversity of bugs in our creeks yield a watershed-level perspective of water quality and habitat viability. Community members, local college students, and volunteer groups can help collect specimens for identification.

GPS Creek Surveys

The Contra Costa Watershed Forum joined forces with the Contra Costa Clean Water Program to monitor and assess creek conditions. The Volunteer Creek Monitoring Program assists community members and local organizations in collecting data on local creeks and watersheds.

Monitoring Assistance and Resource Center

The Watershed Monitoring Coordinator can provide assistance to groups in Contra Costa County who are involved in creek monitoring activities. Equipment can be borrowed from the program (when it isn't being used by the program) and technical assistance is availiable to provide help with data collection activities.

Join a Monitoring Activity!

If you are interested participating in a Bioassessment or GPS Creek Survey, please contact your local “Friends of Creek” group or Michelle Luebke, Watershed Monitoring Coordinator at (925) 335-1315 or mlueb@cd.cccounty.us.

Sponsors

Made possible by support from the Community Development Department and the CC Clean Water Program.