Adopt A Stream

Adopt-a-Stream volunteers conduct two types of water quality monitoring:

• Chemical and physical monitoring to take measurements such as temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and habitat characteristics;
• Biological to collect and identify aquatic insects and other types of organisms called benthic macroinvertebrates. We publish monitoring reports approximately every other year which summarize the data and review the results.

Adopt-a-Stream ~ Chemical, Physical and Habitat Monitoring

Sagehen Creek - Volunteers take water samples on Adopt-a-Stream Snapshot Day. Photo: Joel EriksonAdopted streams are monitored by a committed team of volunteers four times a year, May through September.  We train the teams and provide all the equipment and supplies. Depending on the location of the stream, it takes two-four hours to complete each monitoring session. Click here to visit the calendar.

The following streams have been adopted:

• Alder Creek
• Bear Creek
• Cold Creek (Coldstream Canyon)
• Donner Creek
• Juniper Creek
• Little Truckee River
• East Martis Creek
• Martis Creek
• Prosser Creek – at Highway 89 and below the dam
• Sagehen Creek
• Squaw Creek
• Trout Creek
• Union Valley Creek (Glenshire)

To join a team or adopt a stream, sign up to volunteer here.

Snapshot Day, May 11, 2013

One of the four annual monitoring days is coordinated with a statewide water quality monitoring day called Snapshot Day. Snapshot Day is the one day each year when the water quality of the entire Tahoe-Truckee watershed is measured simultaneously providing a “snapshot” of the water quality of the region.

Registration is required for Snapshot Day. Please visit snapshotday.org and click on "Register Here" to register for this region-wide event.

Adopt-a-Stream ~ Biological Aquatic Monitoring

Volunteers collect and identify benthic macroinvertebrates from local streams.  Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) include aquatic insects and other types of organisms.  The types of aquatic organisms found in a stream are strong indicators of water quality.  Some types of BMIs are able to tolerate certain levels of pollution, and other types are very intolerant of poor water quality. We follow the standard California protocols for collection and analysis. 

Volunteers participate in field sampling events each summer and twice monthly lab sessions each winter. The summer sampling events are on weekend mornings or weekday evenings. Come prepared to get in the creek and have some fun with bugs! During each session volunteers will learn field collection techniques and habitat assessment skills. The winter lab sessions are held weekday evenings at the Truckee River Watershed Council offices. Volunteers sort and identify the macroinvertebrates and record the findings.

Experienced folks and newcomers are equally welcome to both the field and lab sessions.
Dates are posted here.

Thank you to our Partners* and Funders (listed in alphabetical order):

• *CalTrout
• California State Water Resources Control Board
• *Clean Water Team of the State Water Resources Control Board
• *Incline Village General Improvement District
• *Nevada Department of Environmental Protection
• Sierra Nevada Alliance
• *Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
• Donors of the Truckee River Watershed Council