Citizen Monitoring

Bad water is bad for you, but safe water is key to life — and good for you! Water has so many health benefits that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. In the Dan River Basin, a lot of people get their water from public water supply which comes from one of our rivers in the region. For those people who get their water from private wells, their water is coming from the underground aquifers, which are fed by local waterways and are impacted by what is happening above ground.

Clean water is essential. The human body is, after all, 70% water, and although a human being can survive a month or more without food, a week without water can be fatal.

DRBA's mission is to protect our natural resources in our region. We do this through all of our programs and activities which include miles of river and land cleanups, water quality monitoring, environmental education, master planning and planting riparian buffers.

We can't do this alone! Water quality monitors are volunteers who test our local streams and rivers to ensure our water stays clean and healthy. DRBA Water Protectors are those families, individuals and businesses who are committed to short, and long-term practices that preserve and protect our waterways. We also work with local government departments, universities and researchers in both Virginia and North Carolina to ensure our local waterways stay healthy for you and future generations.

Want to just take a walk along the river AND be a volunteer River Monitor - Find out how! 

Water flow is also important: Read DRBA's Executive Summary Report on the Smith River, VA