James Beckley Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Common Myths About Volunteers Volunteer means free Volunteer means poorly funded Volunteer means poor quality/quantity Volunteer means limited resources (e.g. lab access)

Busting The Myths In September 2012, DEQ conducted an online survey of non-DEQ monitoring groups 20 question survey designed to identify resource needs and contribution levels from these organizations 34 organizations responded

What Term Best Describes The Water Quality Monitoring Group You Belong To? Citizen Volunteer- 15 College/University- 7 Federal Government- 5 Non Profit/NGO- 5 Local Government- 2

How Many Sites Are Monitored By Your Group In A Year? Values ranged from 1 to total sites reported in survey Average number of sites monitored per group was 27

Which Parameters Does Your Water Quality Monitoring Group Sample For? Field parameters/ DO, pH, Temp- 25 Bacteria/ E coli- 22 Benthic Macroinvertebrates- 19 Nutrients (N, P)- 15 Water clarity/Turbidity- 13 Other- 9

Does Your Monitoring Group Drop Off Samples To A Laboratory For Testing? No- 22 Yes- 12

If Yes, Is The Laboratory Operated By The Monitoring Group Or A Contracted Laboratory? Lab operated by a monitoring group- 8 Contracted lab- 4

What Is Your Group’s Primary Source Of Income To Cover Operating Costs? Budget Allocation- 10 Grants/ Endowment- 10 Donation- 5 No Funding Source- 5 Membership Dues- 2

How Much Does The Primary Source Of Income Cover Operating Expenses? 100%-12 90%- 4 80%- 3 70%- 6 60%- 3 <50%- 5 Percent Funding Of Total Budget Responses

What Is The Secondary Source Of Income To Cover Monitoring Costs? No Funding source- 9 Grants/ Endowment- 7 Budget Allocation- 3 Donations- 3 Membership Dues- 2 Selling Services- 2 Other- 4* * Includes 2 responses for donating personal funds or volunteering time

How Much Does The Secondary Source Of Income Cover Monitoring Expenses? 50%- 2 40%- 0 30%- 7 20%- 5 10%- 6 0%- 9 Responses Percent Funding Of Total Budget

How Many Are Paid Positions, Average Number of Hours Worked and Salary? Average paid staff per group= 1.2 Average monthly hours worked per paid staff= 37.2 hours Average monthly salary for paid staff = $ ($24.15/ average) Average yearly salary per paid staff = $10, Average yearly salary for paid staff per group = $12,936.67

How Many Are Unpaid Volunteers and Average Number Of Volunteer Hours? Average number of volunteers per group= 14.2 Average number of monthly hours per unpaid volunteer= 9.4 hours Average equivalent monthly salary for unpaid position (assume $22.60/hr) = $ Average equivalent yearly salary per volunteer= $1, Average equivalent yearly salary for volunteers per group= $28,356.55

Estimated Annual Expenses To Perform Water Quality Monitoring

What Is The Primary Reason For The Group To Monitor Water Quality ? Identify areas of good or bad water quality- 13 Education and outreach of the public-10 Response to a specific concern- 3 Advocate for the environment- 2

Who Is The Intended Audience For The Water Quality Data Collected By The Group? Government officials- 26 General public- 25 Members of the group- 24 Academic peers- 11 Local Partners/Schools- 4

How Is The Data Communicated? Online Database/ Smartphone Application- 19 Newsletter/Report- 17 Power Point/Meetings- 12 Research Paper- 9 /Website- 5 Radio/Podcast- 1 Other- 3

Does Your Group Submit Water Quality Data To The Virginia DEQ? Yes- 23 No- 9

If Yes, is Any of the Submitted Data Considered Level III by the VADEQ? Yes- 18 No- 4 Do not know- 4

Is Your Group Interested In Submitting Data To The Virginia DEQ? Yes- 31 No- 1