The Auburn University Water Resources Center (AUWRC) and Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) were recently awarded an Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience grant from the National Academy of Science’s Gulf Research Program.
The project, Co-Designing Resiliency: From Monitoring to Making Change with Citizen Science Water Data, focuses primarily on the AUWRC’s long-standing, nationally recognized citizen science program, Alabama Water Watch (AWW). With funding totaling nearly $740,000, the project was the largest of six GRP awards throughout the region.
The project goal is to empower citizen scientists, researchers, and other key stakeholders to co-design and implement practical solutions to local water quality issues that pose a hazard to community and environmental health. “I am excited to get this project underway with the help of impactful partnerships and community involvement,” said Alabama Water Watch Director, Mona Dominguez.
Alabama Water Watch Leads a Chemistry Monitoring Workshop. Photo credit: Alabama Water Watch
AWW has built an extensive, long-term dataset over the past 30 years through the efforts of thousands of dedicated citizen scientists who have conducted water chemistry, bacteriological, and biological monitoring of Alabama’s streams, rivers, lakes, and bays. AWW follows EPA Approved Quality assurance plans to ensure data credibility, and as a result organizations including the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), municipalities, and universities utilize datasets from AWW to achieve their goals.
AWW data have been used to significantly influence water policy, including the classifications of Wolf Bay and the Magnolia River in Baldwin County, AL as “Outstanding Alabama Waters”, and the designation of Lake Martin as an “Alabama Treasured Lake”. Through the years, AWW has conducted data interpretation presentations, published waterbody reports, and developed a comprehensive set of online Water Data tools in an effort to empower citizens to understand and use their data to improve water quality.
However, according to AWW Director Mona Dominguez, “We feel strongly that this wealth of water quality data remains underutilized, which is resulting in missed opportunities to protect and restore Alabama’s watersheds.”
In Spring 2025, Dominguez learned of the AU Solves hackathon being spearheaded by Drs. Chandana Mitra and Karen McNeal. The initiative, described as a unique opportunity for faculty to engage in interdisciplinary research and solve real-world problems with community partners, included training to prepare faculty to collaborate effectively with local communities.
Dominguez immediately recognized the applicability of the AU Solves model to collaborative solutions to local water quality challenges. She was thrilled when Drs. Mitra and McNeal agreed to collaborate with AWW on the NASEM proposal.
“This project is unique because it’s a two-way process. It’s not just us giving information to citizens,” Mitra explained. “It’s a give-and-take. We learn from their years of on-the-ground experience, and they get scientific tools that help their work.”
AWW volunteers learn how to use the AWW Chemistry kit. Credit: Alabama Water Watch
To achieve the project goal, AUWRC and COSAM partners will implement several objectives over a three-year period. In year one, they will focus on learning directly from the experiences of AWW monitors and other key stakeholders by gathering information through interviews, focus group sessions, and surveys. They will also conduct eye-tracking to assess usability of the AWW online Water Data Tools. Results will allow the team to pinpoint challenges, such as knowledge and skill gaps, that prevent local watershed groups from finding solutions to water quality issues. Improvements to the AWW website and educational products, including a new online course, will then be made to address these challenges.
In year two, the project team will continue implementing the hackathon model by recruiting AU researchers with skills that are required to address local problems identified by members of three AWW watershed groups located throughout the state.
“The hackathon brings researchers, students, and community partners together to solve real problems collaboratively,” Mitra said. “You don’t have to be a scientist — anyone passionate about water quality can help create solutions.”
Finally, AWW and its partners will utilize the co-developed plan to sustainably integrate strategies into local watershed action plans and AWW’s overall programming. This guarantees long‑term impacts within the program and strengthens the overall mission and future direction.
“This work is really about strengthening community resilience and empowering citizens to better understand the data they’re collecting,” McNeal said. “They already care deeply about their watersheds, and this project gives them more tools and support to make a difference.”
Through extraordinary partnerships and standout community engagement, this grant ensures Alabama Water Watch continues to create solutions for healthier water for our future.
“These interdisciplinary collaborations are exactly the kinds of projects that continue to receive support because they bring together scientists, students and community members,” McNeal said. “They show what’s possible when we work across disciplines for the good of Alabama’s watersheds.”
The Auburn University Water Resources Center (AUWRC) is a premier institution for watershed education, outreach, and research. It is part of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES). Visit the AUWRC website to learn more about its initiatives or volunteer as an AWW Volunteer Monitor.
Looking out over an Alabama Lake. Credit: Alabama Water Watch