World Water Monitoring Day Relaunches with New Name

"WEF and IWA have known for some time that many of our participants monitor their water resources year-round, and need the flexibility to choose a date, or dates, that work best for them. We extended the monitoring window for World Water Monitoring Day in 2008, but there was still confusion about when we wanted people to monitor," said WEF Executive Director Jeff Eger. "The simple answer is we want everyone to get out to their waterways and learn about them whenever they can. The name change helps us make that point more clearly."

Expanding the timeframe for monitoring from March 22 until the end of the year has boosted program participation considerably.  In 2011, nearly 340,000 people monitored their waterways in 77 countries.  Five years ago, this number was closer to 30,000.

In addition to clarifying the intent of the program, WEF and IWA hope that the new moniker will serve as a motivational message that encourages people everywhere to test the quality of their waterways, share their findings, and protect our most precious resource.  Program staff and a brand new website with a suite of free materials stand ready to assist.

"We continue to be amazed by the number of people around the world who have embraced this program and made it a part of their ongoing environmental stewardship efforts," said IWA Executive Director Paul Reiter. "We look forward to further enabling those efforts and generating even greater momentum under our new WWMC banner."

Coordinated by WEF and IWA, WWMC is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. The annual program connects citizens with their local water bodies through a series of simple, hands-on monitoring tests. The program receives financial and in-kind support from the primary sponsors including the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Xylem Inc., and Smithfield Foods.

For more details about WWMC and how to participate in 2012, please visit www.MonitorWater.org.

About WEFFormed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF and its Member Associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment. www.wef.org

About IWAThe International Water Association (IWA) is a global network of water professionals that spans the continuum between research and practice, covering all facets of the water cycle. IWA membership comprises 10,000 individuals and 400 corporate members, working in 130 countries.  The Association seeks to connect water professionals worldwide to lead the development of effective and sustainable approaches to water management. www.iwahq.org