Water Quality and Quantity
What do we mean by water quality and quantity—and why does it matter? Understanding how we monitor the river and watershed is essential for both youth and adults. As our region faces a hotter, drier future, SFWA is committed to increasing public awareness around the challenges affecting our water resources.
Each year, SFWA offers a free water quality monitoring workshop for both formal and informal educators. Visit our Teacher Workshop page to learn more or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about upcoming educational opportunities.
We also bring water education directly to students—either in the classroom or out by the river. If you’re a teacher interested in involving your students in hands-on monitoring, we’d love to connect with you.
For more information, please contact julie@santafewatershed.org or call (505) 820-1696.
Help us measure the “Leading Edge” of the Santa Fe River as it changes through the seasons!
What is the “leading edge?” It’s the location in the river channel where the water stops flowing. This location can change quite a bit depending on upstream releases, stormwater runoff, and temperature.
Our friends at River Source helped us set up this exciting community monitoring project, which will help us understand the seasonal fluctuations of river flows in response to releases from the Nichols Reservoir.
Check out the live map of entries by clicking here!
Want to help us with monitoring? It’s easy! Follow the steps below:
1) Download the Survey123 app on your iPhone or android (no account required), and enable location service while using the app
2) Open the Leading Edge Survey in your computer browser or smartphone app by clicking here or scanning the QR code:
3) Follow the question prompts, explained in detail below:
- If opening the Survey123 app for a return entry, select “Continue without signing in”
- Select “Santa Fe River’s Leading Edge Survey”
- Observer name: doesn’t have to be your real name, but it helps us know who’s participating!
- Date and time: app should fill in automatically
- Location (the most important step!): turn on location services on your phone for easiest option, but not required
- Click the crosshairs icon to update your location, and verify on the map. Range should be within a few yards.
- If you prefer to do this step manually in the app or in your computer browser, click and drag the blue arrow to your location.
- Please verify the location looks right by looking at cross streets and other landmarks!
- If you have GPS on, the blue arrow (the pin) should align with the blue circle (your location). You can zoom in and out to verify!
Verify Location
- Check boxes for the characteristics of water, current weather, weather in past 24 hours, and how the water is moving You can select multiple boxes!
- From a SAFE position, take three photos of the river:
- from the SIDE (perpendicular to channel)
- looking UPSTREAM (should show a wet channel)
- looking DOWNSTREAM (should show a dry or drier channel)
- *Click on the photos to see examples:
Upstream View
Side View
Downstream View
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- If you’re in the smartphone app, you can take the photos directly in the app
- You can also upload photos through your computer browser
- Write any other notes you’d like to share!
- See a cool animal? Lots of trash? Let us know!
- If you see something that you think needs active attention please email mori@santafewatershed.org
- BEFORE YOU SUBMIT: double check the location looks right by looking at cross streets and other landmarks! You cannot edit your location after you have sent the entry.
- SUBMIT!
- Find your new entry on the live map of entries.
Please share with your friends and neighbors, and help us learn more about our beloved River!
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