Client Spotlight: The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment - Texas Stream Team

At AIQUEOUS, our mission is to amplify the social impact that our clients have in their communities. One of the pleasures that we derive from our work therefore, is the ability to take a step back from time to time to admire - and live vicariously through- the progress that our clients have achieved. And one such client is the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and its Texas Stream Team.

Established in 1991, the Texas Stream Team's mission is to facilitate environmental stewardship by empowering a statewide network of concerned citizen scientists, partners, and institutions in a collaborative effort to promote a healthy and safe environment through environmental education, data collection, and community action.

And empower a network they have. With over 11,000 citizen scientists trained to monitor and protect the 191,000 miles of the State's waterways, this statewide network of volunteers is working to not only identify current areas of concern, reduce pollution, and provide this information to public agencies, but also to inspire research and innovation that will ensure clean water for future generations as well.

Since 1991, the Texas Stream Team has set milestones and received deserved recognition in doing so. Just in terms of participation, for example, some of these milestones include:

Sampling events: 21,443
Miles travelled: 375,313
Hours sampled: 34,243
Sites created: 2,081
Citizen scientists trained: 11,012

Beyond these metrics, one of the most immediate ways to recognize the impact of the Texas Stream Team is to view their Data Map: an easily accessible resource of all sites and water quality data - facilitated by their WaterWays Dataviewer - that has been completed in Texas to date.

Reaching these milestones has been achieved by what is an impressive mix of community members, students, educators, academic researchers, environmental professionals, and both public and private sector partners to conduct scientific research and to promote environmental stewardship. If you happen to be in Texas, and are interested in becoming part of the team and being part of the first line of defense for Texas natural resources, upcoming training information is below: