Massachusetts Community Water Watch works to address water quality problems in urban areas through cleanups, education, and streamwalks.

Cleanups provide an avenue for both constructive solutions and community action. We bring people to a degraded site, present them with information on the ecological integrity of the area and its impact on the community and work together to clean it up. This brings local problems to life in front of the citizens who are affected by them, and provides an attainable solution.

Water Watch volunteers also patrol hundreds of miles of rivers, lakes and streams each year. We map local water resources, test water quality and check for evidence of illegal pollution discharges. Many times, it is this type of citizen monitoring effort which uncovers potentially dangerous pollution problems first. Once detected, these incidents are reported to state agencies. Monthly monitoring walks show the gradual changes that may be happening in the water system, as well as provide more insight into the impact the waterway has on the community.