Water Environment Federation celebrates World Water Monitoring Day on the Anacostia River in Washington, DC

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Held annually between September 18 and October 18, the program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies. Since its inception in 2002, more than 80,000 people have participated in 50 countries.

Sponsored by CH2M Hill and Smithfield Foods, the event will take place at ECC’s Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center located at 2000 Half Street, SW in Washington, DC from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. Following brief opening remarks, attendees will participate in a water monitoring demonstration by ECC corps members and then break into groups to conduct hands-on testing of the water.

"Monitoring of streams, lakes and rivers is taking place all over the world by people of all ages and backgrounds who care about protecting water in their communities," said Linda Kelly, Managing Director of Public Communications for WEF. "There's no better place to show the U.S. commitment to water quality than by holding World Water Monitoring Day in our nation’s capital."

An easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Results are then put into an international database and summarized on the program's web site.

About WEF:
Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes water quality professionals from 76 Member Associations in 30 countries.

Contact and further information:
Water Environment Federation
Lori Burkheimer (Diector of Public Information)
601 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: (703) 684-2400
Fax: (703) 684-2492
Email: wwmd@wef.org
Web: www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.com