Improving Water Quality

natural resources

2023 AWW Annual Meeting

Join us for the 2023 Alabama Water Watch Annual Meeting at Guntersville State Park on Saturday, June 24, 2023!

REGISTER HERE!!!

2023 Alabama Water Watch Annual Meeting Registration

Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 10am – 2pm 

Location: Guntersville State Park Lodge

1155 Lodge Dr
Guntersville, AL 35976

Registration Fees:

Registration is $35 for adults and $25 for youth 18 and under.
For couples and families, the fee for an additional registration is $25 per additional person.
Each registration includes:

  • Catered lunch from Guntersville State Park Café
  • One-year membership with the Alabama Water Watch Association

Agenda: 

10:00 AM Welcome and Introductions

10:30 AM Program Updates

11:00 AM Networking Activity

12:00 PM Lunch

1:00 PM AWW Awards Ceremony

2:00 PM Meeting End

2:30 PM Optional Guided Hike with Guntersville State Park Naturalist

Note: Your registration is not complete until your payment is received. You will be provided with payment options at the end of this registration form, and you will receive a registration confirmation email. Registration closes on June 12th. No refunds will be given after that deadline. 

There will be an optional guided hike (at no additional fee) from Guntersville State Park Naturalist after the meeting on Saturday, June 24 starting at 2:30pm. Spots are limited and will be honored on a first-come first-serve basis. 

2022 AWW Annual Meeting

Celebrate 30 years of Alabama Water Watch with us at the 2022 Annual Meeting! – Registration Closed

When:

Saturday, June 11, 2022 from 10am – 3pm

Where:

Center for Advanced Science, Innovation, and Commerce (CASIC) Building

559 Devall Drive

Auburn, AL 36849

Schedule:

10:00 am – Welcome and Introductions
10:30 am – Program Updates from AWW, the AU Water Resources Center, and Global Water Watch
11:00 am – AWW at Work: Highlights and Opportunities with Tom McCauley (Auburn University Risk Management & Safety), Morgan Counts (Dog River Clearwater Revival), Scott Rogers (Alabama Dept. of Transportation), and Natalie Parsons (Alabama Dept. of Public Health – Lee County).
12 pm – Lunch
12:45 pm – 30 Years of AWW – guest presentation by Dr. Bill Deutsch
1:30 pm – AWW Awards Ceremony & Special Presentation
2:45 pm – Closing Comments
3pm – End

Registration Fees:

  • Registration is $30 for adults and $20 for youth 18 and under.
  • For couples and families, the fee for an add-on registration is $20 per additional person.
  • Each registration includes a catered lunch from Chappy’s Deli and a one-year membership with the Alabama Water Watch Association.
  • Registration closes on June 6th. 

*We are offering a 2-hour Green Infrastructure Tour in Auburn on Friday (6/10/22) at 2pm, but spaces are limited. See more details in the registration form. If you are only interested in participating in the Green Infrastructure Tour on Friday afternoon, June 10th, email the AWW Office at awwprog@auburn.edu for registration options.

AWW Monitoring Training – Enterprise

September AWW Workshop Logos

September 2022 Alabama Water Watch Monitoring Training 

Registration is required: https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2rQXrEf7H1k0HoW

Training Description: Become a certified Volunteer Monitor through this hybrid (online and in-person) training opportunity! Available certifications include AWW Water Chemistry Monitoring and Bacteriological Monitoring. You must complete each of the steps outlined below to receive your monitoring certification.

This workshop is provided in conjunction with Alabama Watershed Stewards (AWS), a statewide science-based educational program that promotes healthy watersheds, increases understanding of water pollution, and provides the knowledge to prevent and resolve local water quality problems. AWS is funded by a Clean Water Act 319 Partnership grant through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and EPA Region 4.

Follow these steps to get started: 
1.  Register for training through this form by September 13th. 
2.  Select the monitoring type(s) for which you would like certification through this form. 

On September 13th

  • Participate in the Kick-Off Zoom from 12-1 pm. This is not required for certification but will help you navigate the training process and meet AWW Staff.  
  • Use the link and instructions you receive via email following the Kick-Off Zoom to enroll in the Online Courses required for the certification type(s) you requested.   

By Midnight on September 27th

  • Complete the self-paced, online coursework for the monitoring type(s) of interest.  
  • Introduction to AL Water Watch – This course is required for all monitoring types and must be completed to unlock all other AWW Online Courses. (1 hour) 
  • Bacteriological Monitoring Course (90 minutes) 
  • Water Chemistry Monitoring Course (2 hours) 

On September 30th
Attend the in-person Field Day at Enterprise State Community College in Enterprise, AL where you will demonstrate your ability to conduct monitoring tests under the observation of an AWW Trainer. Participants will be expected to follow CDC guidelines regarding in-person gatherings during the trainings.

Field Day Schedule:  
8:45 am Check-In for Water Chemistry Monitoring Session 
9:00 am Water Chemistry Monitoring Session 
12:15 pm Lunch Break (bring a sack lunch)
12:45 pm Check-In for Bacteriological Monitoring Session 
1:00 pm Bacteriological Monitoring Session 
3:00 pm Adjourn

You will receive additional details for each of these steps once you register.  
Contact AWW with any questions: 1-888-844-4785 or awwprog@auburn.edu.

WRC Water Webinar – Smoke on the Water: Fire Effects on Black Rails and Other Coastal Marsh Birds

Smoke on the Water: Fire Effects on Black Rails and Other Coastal Marsh Birds featuring Dr. Jim Cox and Heather Levy of the Stoddard Bird Lab at Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS).

Jim Cox heads up the Stoddard Bird Lab at TTRS. The focus of the award-winning lab ranges from assessing how fire management affects habitat for several birds that inhabit coastal marshes and upland pine forests to performing hands-on activities that benefit Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Frosted Elfin (an imperiled butterfly).

Heather Levy is an avian biologist in the Stoddard Bird Lab at TTRS. She has been studying Florida avifauna associated with fire for over 5 years, focusing on endemic and endangered species conservation and habitat management.

Registration is free and required: https://auburn.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sduurpzspGdJFBQGEd_uwo9T2qyZbVvXA

WRC Water Webinar – Fostering a Successful Future for the Water Resources Field in Alabama

A panel of water resources professionals discuss their educational and professional paths, roles in the water resources field in Alabama, and the most pressing needs for water resources research in Alabama and beyond.

Panelists include:
Sandy Faulkner | Montgomery Water Works & Sanitary Sewer Board
Chris Johnson | Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)
Tom Littlepage | Alabama Office of Water Resources
Sabra Sutton | Alabama Association of Conservation Districts

Registration is free and required:https://auburn.zoom.us/meeting/86242204845

WRC Water Webinar – Impacts of Invasive Wild Pigs, Sus Scrofa, on Water Quality and Wetland Ecosystem Health

Impacts of Invasive Wild Pigs, Sus scrofa, on Water Quality and Wetland Ecosystem Health featuring Auburn University’s Elizabeth Bradley.

Registration is free and required: https://auburn.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sc-6spj4pG9Tr5agIBM5LMj6qA0VqR8Iq

Elizabeth A. Bradley is a PhD student in Dr. Graeme Lockaby’s lab at Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. She received her BS in Biology with High-Distinguished Honors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Bradley’s PhD project explores the impacts of invasive wild pigs on water quality, wetland ecosystem health, and the resulting implications on pathogen transmission.

AWW Monitoring Training – Auburn

February 2022 Alabama Water Watch Monitoring Training 

Registration is required: https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2aChDxf7DLyhLuu

Training Description: Become a certified Volunteer Monitor through this hybrid (online and in-person) training opportunity! Available certifications include AWW Water Chemistry Monitoring and Bacteriological Monitoring. You must complete each of the steps outlined below to receive your monitoring certification.
 
Follow these steps to get started: 
1.  Register for training through this form by February 1st. 
2.  Select the monitoring type(s) for which you would like certification through this form. 

On February 1st 

  • Participate in the Kick-Off Zoom from 12-1 pm. This is not required for certification but will help you navigate the training process and meet AWW Staff.  
  • Use the link and instructions you receive via email following the Kick-Off Zoom to enroll in the Online Courses required for the certification type(s) you requested.   

By Midnight on February 15th 

  • Complete the self-paced, online coursework for the monitoring type(s) of interest.  
  • Introduction to AL Water Watch – This course is required for all monitoring types and must be completed to unlock all other AWW Online Courses. (1 hour) 
  • Bacteriological Monitoring Course (90 minutes) 
  • Water Chemistry Monitoring Course (2 hours) 

On February 18th  
Attend the in-person Field Day in Auburn where you will demonstrate your ability to conduct monitoring tests under the observation of an AWW Trainer. Participants will be expected to follow CDC guidelines regarding in-person gatherings during the trainings. 

Field Day Schedule:  
8:45 am Check-In for Bacteriological Monitoring Session 
9:00 am Bacteriological Monitoring Session 
11:00 am Lunch Break (lunch provided by the City of Auburn)
12:45 pm Check-In for Water Chemistry Monitoring Session
1:00 pm Water Chemistry Monitoring Session 
4:00 pm Adjourn 

You will receive additional details for each of these steps once you register.  
Contact AWW with any questions: 1-888-844-4785 or awwprog@auburn.edu.

Red Algal Citizen Science – A Search For Alabama’s Unknown Red Algal Biodiversity

There is incredible biodiversity in the state of Alabama – including freshwater snails, mussels, fish, and turtles. However, much of our biodiversity remains enigmatic. One group of organisms we lack critical information about are freshwater red macroalgae. Though rarely truly red in color, they provide food and habitat for macroinvertebrates and may serve as indicators of good water quality. However, they are not included in current biodiversity surveys in Alabama. To better understand the ecological role and potential usefulness of these algae as bioindicators, we first need to figure out where to find them.

This is where Alabama Water Watch monitors come in! We are asking for your help in identifying potential freshwater red algal habitat by taking photos of your monitoring sites. Our lab will examine the photographs to assess whether they may provide good freshwater red habitat and to determine if they should be included in our surveys. In the future, we plan to provide training and supplies for interested AWW monitors to collect and send algal samples to the Krueger-Hadfield lab at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Free Registration

WRC Water Webinar – Ann Ojeda – Perceptions, Risk, and Reality of Septic System Impacts on Water Resources

Perceptions, Risk, and Reality of Septic System Impacts on Water Resources featuring Dr. Ann Ojeda.

Dr. Ojeda is an Assistant Professor in the Auburn University College of Science and Mathematics’ Department of Geosciences. Ojeda’s research is the intersection of geology, environmental science, and human health, particularly, concerning the nature of toxic organic contaminants in the environment.

Free Registration: https://auburn.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpdumrrTwqHN07zRxryCHfwB_uvsvB_oj_

WRC Water Webinar – Brenda Ortiz – Putting Smart Irrigation Tools in the Hands of Alabama Stakeholders

Putting Smart Irrigation Tools in the Hands of Alabama Stakeholders featuring Dr. Brenda Ortiz.

Dr. Ortiz is a Professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences and an Extension Specialist for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Her research includes impacts of weather and climate on agriculture especially corn and wheat crops, identification of adaptation strategies to reduce climate-related risk in agriculture, evaluation of irrigation scheduling strategies (sensor-based) for corn and soybean production, and evaluation of crop sensing technologies for variable rate application of nitrogen.

Free Registration: https://auburn.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApde-vrz0jE9Xkg8oP1LrxKnDA-XIf-Drp