The Role of Citizen Scientists in Water Resources Research and Knowledge Transfer

SAHRA (Sustainability of Semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas) currently is engaged in multiple research and knowledge transfer efforts involving citizen scientists. These include students taking river samples and measuring soil moisture, and networks of rain loggers recruited to monitor precipitation in rural watersheds and across urban areas. Beneficiaries include researchers, drought monitors, rangeland managers, flood risk evaluators, and weather forecasters. We also are working to create a mutually beneficial information sharing system with Arizona’s 80,000 domestic well owners. Technical assistance and discounts on water quality tests will be tied to systems that automatically notify well owners of new information on water quality, depth to groundwater, and well drilling in their immediate area. Successful strategies and lessons learned in tapping citizen scientists to further research and knowledge transfer programs will be discussed