Volunteer Monitoring
Rainfall
Volunteers are needed to measure rainfall throughout the watershed. Volunteers attach a rainfall gauge to a post in an area free from obstructions. Daily, the volunteer records the amount of precipitation, then shakes the water out of the gauge and replaces it on the post.
Rainfall within the Napa River watershed varies dramatically depending on the topography and meso-climates, and there is great variation in the ability of local soils to accept and hold water. Rainfall rate and quantity interact with many other factors to influence erosion, vegetative cover, groundwater recharge, stream water chemistry, and runoff of nonpoint source pollution into streams.
Water Quality
The Water Quality Monitoring Program needs volunteers who are willing to spend about an hour a week on a local creek.
Volunteers use wet chemistry kits and field meters to measure the temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity of various streams. Measurements are taken on a biweekly basis in the summer and monthly during the winter.
This set of data serves two important purposes. It acts as a screening mechanism for detrimental changes in water quality. In addition, these data establish a baseline with which to examine long-term trends.
Streamflow
Volunteers throughout the Napa River watershed use wire weight stream gages to measure the height of several tributaries to the Napa River. Measurements are taken during storm events.
Flow from tributaries into the Napa River varies dramatically depending on rainfall in a given year, topography and micro-climates of the subwatershed. Rain and runoff captured in a stream can significantly impact the amount of water in downstream tributaries and the Napa River. The interactions of rainfall, runoff and stream flow in tributaries influence the occurrence of downstream flooding.
Consistent tracking of stream flow by citizens in their own subwatershed can significantly contribute to the understanding of the relationships between local rainfall, stream ecology, and watershed health.
