Volunteers play an integral role in protecting and improving the health of Snohomish County lakes.
Since 1992, surface water management (SWM) has trained over 250 citizen volunteers to monitor lake water quality in 38 of the county's lakes. Currently 60 volunteers help SWM monitor 28 lakes.
For more information about volunteering, contact us at lakes@snoco.org.
Read about some of our dedicated lake monitoring volunteers in the Everett Daily Herald here.
Lake Howard Volunteers
Lake Bosworth Volunteer
Lake Ki Volunteers
Lake Roesiger S. Volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
SWM staff will provide all necessary training - only a boat and lake access is required. SWM is seeking volunteers to monitor lake water quality in 2019 for the following lakes:
Chain
Wagner
Importance of Monitoring by Volunteers
Volunteers are essential to the success of SWM's lake monitoring program. Their time and efforts provide information that could not be obtained with county resources alone. The information collected by volunteers is used to:
Determine the current conditions of Snohomish County lakes
Educate lakeside landowners on how to improve lake health
Evaluate changes in lake health over time
Identify problems affecting a specific lake in the early stages
Provide support for maintaining and restoring lakes
Requirements
Being a volunteer lake monitor is a fun and rewarding experience. Volunteer activities include measuring water transparency and surface temperature and collecting water samples. Previous experience is not necessary; SWM will provide training and monitoring equipment.
Volunteers must be able to commit to the following:
Have direct access to lake
Have access to a boat and anchor
Participate in a four-hour volunteer training (in April or May)
Conduct twice a month monitoring May - October (30 minutes)
Collect monthly water samples June - September (One hour)
Volunteers that have more time may also commit to measuring temperature and oxygen levels and/or taking lake level measurements.
Volunteer Training Videos
The following are links to training videos on Snohomish County's YouTube page.
