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What is Georgia Adopt-A-Stream?
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream is the state's volunteer water quality monitoring program, housed in the Watershed Branch of the Environmental Protection Division. Our volunteers select a local stream, wetland, lake, or estuary to adopt and regularly monitor, and submit data for their site to our online database.
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How are Adopt-A-Stream Data used?
When you monitor a site with Adopt-A-Stream, your data is entered into an open access, statewide database. All AAS data can be viewed by the public, and is downloadable using queries by city, county and watershed. Visit the 'Data Views' tab for Yearly Trends, Yearly Highlights, Monthly/ Yearly Summaries, Site of Interest and more!
Volunteer data can be used in a variety of ways including:
- Trend analysis of water quality data for changes over time
- Public education, student research, academia
- Identify sewage spills, leaking pipes, septic leaks
- Agriculture and forestry Best Management Practices and E&S issues
- Permit violations
- Develop watershed-based plans
To see how AAS volunteers and students are using their data, visit the Science and News page.
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How am I protecting my stream when I Adopt-A-Stream?
- Immediately
- Picking up litter
- Alerting the appropriate authorities if you notice a problem
- Long term
- Gathering visual, chemical or biological data that provide information about the overall condition of your stream
- Documenting how the health of your stream changes over time
- Setting a good example and increasing awareness of water quality issues in your community
- Immediately
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Who uses my data?
It depends.
- You, first of all, can gain a better understanding of factors impacting your stream by monitoring consistently and reviewing your data and observations.
- Second, local water departments, planners, city councils, environmental consulting agencies, and colleges may be interested in summaries of the information you collect. Local agencies often don’t have enough time and/or crew members to monitor each stream in their region, so citizen data can often fill the gaps. Remember to call your local agencies if you notice something unusual in your stream.
- Third, data submitted to the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream database can be accessed by anyone that is interested in viewing water quality data for their city, region, or watershed.
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Do I need to have a science background to participate in Adopt-A-Stream?
Nope! While a science background may be helpful when interpreting your data, it is not required to conduct stream monitoring. When you participate in a monitoring workshop, your trainer will provide hands-on instruction and answer whatever questions you might have to ensure that you feel comfortable with the sampling and testing procedures.
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I’m not sure I know enough.
We are all learning. The most important thing is to get out there, start taking observations of your site and land use in your area, and learn about stressors that may be impacting your watershed
Here are a few tips:
- Start monitoring as soon as you can after attending a workshop, while the information is still fresh in your mind. Bring your workshop materials out with you when you first start monitoring if you need a reminder of the procedures.
- Read the AAS manuals. These will help you understand why it is useful to monitor certain parameters and what your results mean, as well as provide background information on topics such as watersheds, land use, and the importance of protecting water quality.
- Reach out to your Local Coordinator and other monitoring groups for help.
- Contact the AAS State Office at AAS@dnr.ga.gov. We are always happy to answer whatever questions you may have!
Volunteer FAQs
General Volunteer FAQs
Database FAQs
1. Attend a workshop*. When you sign in, you will provide your email address, which will become your username in the AAS database. 2. After the workshop, you should receive an email from your trainer stating whether or not you passed your certification. If you passed, you're ready to log in to the database! (See: How do I log in to my Adopt-A-Stream account for the first time?) *Note: Though recommended, you are not required to attend a workshop if you wish to conduct non-QA/QC monitoring (visual/habitat survey, watershed assessment, amphibian, or wetland). If you are unable or unwilling to attend a workshop, please email AAS@dnr.ga.gov, and we will set up an account for you. (You will still be required to attend a workshop if you wish to conduct QA/QC monitoring- chemical, bacterial, or macroinvertebrate). *Note: You must have already attended a workshop in order to be able to log in to the Adopt-A-Stream database. If you have trouble signing in, please contact us at AAS@dnr.ga.gov to check your username. *Note: After you save your group, search for your group name to make certain that it is in our database. If it comes up in your search, you are now ready to register your site(s). If not, please contact us at AAS@dnr.ga.gov and we’ll troubleshoot with you! You can add multiple sites under one group. Please make certain your group information is registered in our database before attempting to register a site. *Note: Only group leaders can add a new site to their group. *Note: Only group leaders can edit the group name. *Note: Only group leaders can add members to the group. If you cannot find your group member’s name in the search field, it is possible they are not a member of AAS. If that is the case, please contact the state office at AAS@dnr.ga.gov so we can add them to the database. Please include the following information: first and last name, address, email, county and phone number. To enter data, your group must be registered in the Adopt-A-Stream database. If your group has not been registered, you will need to create a group. See ‘How do I register a new group?’ for instructions. Additionally, only certified volunteers can submit data into the AAS database. Please follow the steps below to enter chemical, bacterial, macroinvertebrate and/or stream habitat data. *Notes: Group: Site: Your certificate can be viewed and/or downloaded as a PDF on your personal page:
If you are entering multiple data forms, after clicking "Submit", you can click ‘Clear’ to clear the form and start with a new site.
If you receive a popup message with an error or cannot submit the form because of missing data, see the Errors and Warnings list.