Safety While Monitoring

Safety

Your safety is very important to us!  Each monitoring fact sheet referenced in the methods sections includes safety precautions specific to that stream assessment. Please keep these general safety tips in mind when you head to your monitoring sites: 

 

• Always tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return.
• Organize a monitoring team or take a friend with you in the field.
• Use EXTREME caution when wading or entering the stream—deep holes are common in fast-moving streams and rivers; rocks can also be very slippery.
• If a streambank is too steep, don’t attempt it.
• Streamflow is likely to be higher and stronger after a storm event in the watershed. If the water looks unsafe, wait a few days for the water to return to its base flow to monitor.
• Consider wearing a personal flotation device (life preserver) at sites with deeper water. Keep in mind that WAV volunteers only ever monitor wadeable streams, not large rivers.
• Learn to identify harmful plants that can cause skin rashes and allergic reactions, such as poison ivy and wild parsnip, and avoid them.
• Wear safety glasses or rubber gloves when handling monitoring chemicals, as recommended on factsheets.
• Wash your hands after you return from the field; do not touch your face until you do!

 

Monitoring the health of a stream or river is a very enjoyable adventure when you are safe.  Please keep these safety tips in mind when monitoring - thank you!