Community Based Water Monitoring in Saskatchewan with the University of Regina

For the third year in a row, Water Rangers is running a community-based water monitoring program in Saskatchewan in partnership with the University of Regina’s Faculty of Science.

This program is generously supported by the University of Regina’s Faculty of Science and the Natural Science and Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with funds from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Global Water Futures.

Community Based Water Monitoring in Saskatchewan: The program at a glance

This program requires participants to test the water at a nearby lake, river, or stream in Saskatchewan on the last weekend of every month from May to September of 2023. Participants are encouraged to sample 2-3 locations, and are strongly encouraged to return to the same sampling locations each month.

By participating, volunteers will not only help contribute to the protection of Saskatchewans’ waterbodies, but will have a fun, safe way to access the outdoors this summer.

Why monitor water quality in Saskatchewan?

Saskatchewan lakes, rivers, and natural waterbodies face a range of water quality issues, including algal blooms, browning, temperature changes, high turbidity, and invasive species.

All of these factors can degrade lake water quality, which can result in both environmental and economical consequences.

How to participate

Apply to take part in the program

The first step is to apply to take part in the program. While we’d love to accept everyone, the program has a limited number of spots! If your application is successful, we’ll let you know by mid-April, 2024.

Training sessions

To get a sense of what’s expected, we encourage you to watch the recorded training session from one of our previous testing years. This training session was delivered by Erin, our 2021 Saskatchewan program coordinator. In this training session, Erin goes over how to use the Water Rangers kit, how to upload your data to Water Rangers’ platform, and how to use the app.

How to use the app

Visit this page for a more in depth explanation of how to use the Water Rangers app.

Choosing a sampling location

Please visit this page for more information on how to choose a good sampling location.

Still have questions?

No problem! Visit our FAQs or contact us. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible!