The Project has two main components:

1. Water Quality Monitoring Program

Schools are provided with a Waterwatch Monitoring Kit to monitor a waterway close to their school for salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity on a monthly basis.

Waterwatch Co-ordinators run professional development days for teachers when required and are also available to train teachers in using the equipment and interpreting data on request.

Each month schools can enter their results online in the Add New Results section of this website, or submit a Results sheet to the Waterwatch team via email, fax or mail (see below).

2. Monthly Activities

To complement the Water Quality Monitoring Program, a different activity will be featured each month. Classes are encouraged to complete at least 5 of the 8 topics during the year.

Activities can be accessed via the green 'Monthly activities' tab and will include background information, the activity and student worksheets. Some activities can be done at school while others require visiting the monitoring site.

The Waterwatch Team is available to assist with these activities as required.

After completing the activity, results can be submitted on the Add New Results section for inclusion on this website, or submit a Results sheet to the Waterwatch team via one of the following: 

On commencement of the project, you will be supplied with a Waterwatch Monitoring Kit, Data Interpretation and Activities Poster, a Catchment Capers Calendar, a Resource Booklet and a Procedure Manual.

In your kit:

At the beginning of the year, your school will be issued with a Water Quality Monitoring Kit. The kit will be yours to  use for the 8 months and then is returned to Waterwatch for calibration and maintenance.

Your kit will contain:

- Turbidity Tube

- Dissolved Oxygen Kit

- Conductivity Meter and Standard Solution for Calibration

- Thermometer

- Rain Gauge

- Plastic Pipettes

- Safety Glasses & Gloves

- Resource booklet

- Water Monitoring Procedure Manual for Teachers

- Data Interpretation Poster

Computer microscopes are also available to schools for loan during the year as part of the Catchment Capers project. Just contact your Regional Co-Ordinator.

To find out who your regional Co-Ordinator is CLICK HERE.

Calendar and Timelines

The Catchment Capers Calendar can be hung in your classroom and indicates events during the year, timelines and the 'water monitoring weeks' each month. It is preferable that water monitoring is completed during the allocated week each month to maintain continuity in the results throughout the catchment.

Also, National Water Week is held ever year in October. Various competitions activities and events are held in celebration. Please contact catchmentcapers@gvwater.vic.gov.au with registration or enquiries.

What to do with Results

Water Quality Monitoring Results

Each month the water quality data you have colletted can be submitted to Waterwatch via via email, fax or mail (see below) or the Results page.

Monthly Activity Results

Monthly activities can be completed inidividually in class, but only one set of results is able to submitted to Waterwatch. Get together as a group to discuss and try to come up with one set of results that summarises the activity well. Send these to the Waterwatch Team via email, fax or mail or the Results page.

To ensure the results on the website are up to date, both the water quality and monthly activity record sheets should be submitted by the last Wednesday of the month, as indicated on your Catchment Capers Calendar.

Fax: (03) 5831 1467

Email: catchmentcapers@gvwater.vic.gov.au 

Post: PO Box 185, Shepparton 3632

Helpful Links

Land and Water Australia-  http://www.rivers.gov.au/