For more than a decade, World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) has provided a platform for increasing public awareness of water quality through a citizen science project that monitors local water resources around the globe.
"World Water Monitoring Day" has been renamed the "World Water Monitoring Challenge" to promote greater involvement and year-round water quality monitoring.
Yet in recent years, WWMD has become something of a misnomer since activities have not been restricted to just one day.
Officially, WWMD is still observed on September 18, but since 2009, the testing and reporting period has been extended from March 22 through December 31. As a result, the program has grown from about 30,000 participants to nearly 340,000 over the past five years.
In recognition of the extended timeframe and to promote year-round involvement, World Water Monitoring Day will now be known as the World Water Monitoring Challenge. Along with the name change, organizers have updated their website with interactive reporting features and support materials for educators and civic groups.
According to the initiative’s 2011 Year in Review, 338,959 people monitored water quality across 77 countries and six continents last year, representing a 62 percent increase in involvement over 2010. Leading all countries by number of participating individuals was Malaysia, with 82,000 while the U.S. led in number of sites monitored with 1,754. In all, 19,400 WWMD test kits were distributed in 2011 — 2,836 more than in 2010.
The World Water Monitoring Challenge is coordinated by The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA). The program receives financial and in-kind support from primary sponsors, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Xylem Inc., and Smithfield Foods.
