March 04, 2020
Citizen scientists have been conducting water quality assessments for decades, with limited success. Advances in analytic chemistry, information technology and social science have revolutionized the field and have put the citizenry at the center of a number of significant water quality assessment efforts. While this research has been valuable, it has encountered pitfalls including concerns regarding data quality and questions regarding science and community ethics. Citizen collected water quality data are a vital tool in the arsenal of water resource professionals, exactly how this tool will be used remains an active field of inquiry.